The Auswine Forum

August 15th, 2009 | Category: Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Western Australia

After trying a very disappointing (oxidised) 2000 Penfolds Reserve Bin Chardonnay earlier this evening, I opened one of my most reliable older Aussie reds - the 1983 Cape Mentelle Cabernet.

For a 26-year-old red this wine holds a remarkable deep impenetrable plummy red brown core, although there’s obvious age showing when tipping the glass and viewing the wine at a shallow depth. Aromatically, this stunner is a dead ringer for a top flight left banker. Rife with weedy blackcurrants, undergrowth, damp earth, minerals, iron and blood, the bouquet literally soars from the glass, totally belying its considerable age. Likewise, in the mouth, the wine displays remarkable freshness and vitality with a quite amazing residue of plummy, blackcurrant fruit, a big lick of cedary oak and a probing herbaceousness, lively acidity and stunning lacy tannins; all superbly meshed and remarkably delineated. The finish delivers the complete package - resolute, harmonious and with an uncanny, authoritative, lengthy carry, I can’t help but awarding this quite exceptional Cabernet, 95 points. Drink now - 2018. Utterly brilliant!

Great note

Wasn't that wine one of the Jimmy Watson winning run of wines from Cape Mentelle?

Gavin Trott wrote:Great note

Wasn't that wine one of the Jimmy Watson winning run of wines from Cape Mentelle?

Yes it is - 1982/1983 were the JWT winners.

dlo remarkable that you still have stocks of this! Presumably you have tracked this wine for some time. How do you think the much touted 2001 fares in comparision?

Broughy wrote:dlo remarkable that you still have stocks of this! Presumably you have tracked this wine for some time. How do you think the much touted 2001 fares in comparision?

Haven't tried a 2001 Cape Mentelle Cabernet, so can't help you there, sorry.
I bought the 1982 and loved it very early on (it was quite approachable as a youngster) but then all I had left went belly up with overt green characters. The 1983 was much bigger, full of robust structure, heaps of tannin and needed heaps of time to come around. I kept a case back until well into the nineties. All that disappeared some years back and I have continued to buy more of the 1983, but only when I can ascertain excellent cellaring provenance. Older auction wine can be just too risky a proposition these days.

David,

I agree with you (but always preferred the 83 over the 82).

The flagship CS has always been very good but the shiraz lost its way from the mid-80s to about 1994 (the 1994 is back on track), while the Trinders - formerly known as Cab-merlot was a quaffer of reasonable quality but no great distinction - and probably overpriced- until the most recent vintage.

Old CM CS are great: the 1991 is drinking beautifully now!

regards,

fred

Haven't tried a 2001 Cape Mentelle Cabernet, so can't help you there, sorry.

Cheers. Bought a doz on the back of some good reviews and vintage + some lovely experiences with prior vintages. This was one of the last vintages before the significant price rise. From memory $40 ish??? or less os a bit of a punt.