Francis Ford Coppola – Director’s Cut 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cost: $18-$24/bottle
Dark purple opaque in color. Very young, almost fresh pressed juice but still with a tannic presence. Nice fruit content showcasing notes of toasted oak, vanilla extract, black and red currants and a touch of earthiness. A decent cabernet that could use a few years to help it come together. It’s young and awkward at this stage, but shows promise.
Rating:87
Hare’s Chase – Red Blend 2005, Barossa Valley, Australia
Cost: $15/bottle
A medium bodied dark garnet red wine, with a fragrant nose of black leather, shoe polish, and toasted bread, with a solid black cherry fruit core. This is an impressive bargain-priced wine that could easily be inserted in a blind tasting with some 4th or 5th growth Bordeaux that costs three times more. There is a genuine ripeness in fruit but without that cloying sweetness I often find in Australian reds at this price level. The rather odd blend of several varietals including shiraz, cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo (the Spanish varietal which probably gives this wine its complex nose at this stage, which separates it from the common Barossa Valley reds). Very nice… a definite half case purchase for me so I can follow this wine over time.
Rating: 89
Tags: CABERNET SAUVIGNON, CELLAR NOTES, RED BLENDS, WINE
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