D'Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Cellar for up to 12 years. No need to decant before serving. The famed d’Arenberg winery in Australia’s McLaren Vale was founded in 1912 by Joseph Rowe Osborn who was actually a teetotaller, selling his fruit on to local wineries rather than vinifying it himself. The estate is best known for its precious old Shiraz vines which were planted back in the 1880s and have been tended by the Osborn family for four generations. The chief winemaker today is Chester Osborn, Joseph’s great-grandson, who has made it his mission to produce top quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from their prime vineyards. This big and beautiful Aussie Cabernet is named after the Coppermine Road which runs parallel to the estate’s top Cabernet vineyard. This parcel is planted with an almost extinct clone of Cabernet, and yields of these old vines are kept very low, rarely exceeding one tonne per acre. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately in open fermenters, with workers treading the grapes by foot part way through the fermentation. The young wine is then aged in oak barrels and bottled without any fining or filtering. This exacting approach winemaking helps produce an elegant yet well-structured red which is bursting with luscious dark fruit, firm tannins, and hints of cedar, violets and mint which linger on the tongue. The power and opulence of this Cabernet make it a great wine to pair with venison, a prime ribeye steak, or even barbecued ribs.

Price: £31.10 from 8wines UK