Posted Jun 17th 2009, 10:43
The Weekend Australian Magazine
13 June 2009
Pinot noir may be sexier, shiraz may be more popular, but when the vintage is kind, good old cabernet sauvignon can produce some of the most brilliant red wines in Australia.
Two recent vintages were particularly kind to cabernet: 2006 in the south-eastern states and 2007 in WA. You can find plenty of examples on bottle shop shelves and restaurant lists right now, and because the grape variety is underrated, many of them are great value.
The 2007 Margaret River cabernets - and cabernet merlot blends - have unusually intense purple colour, lifted aroma and deeply satisfying flavour, thanks to painfully low grape yields in the vineyards that year. Recently tasted well-priced standouts include the perfumed, complex 2007 Fraser Gallop Estate Cabernet Merlot.