Cabernet Sauvignon Archives - D'Agos Fine Wines

01
Feb 17
0

Australian Day Wine Tasting in Dublin

Tags : Australia Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Grenache Nebbiolo Primitivo Sangiovese Wine fair

I was in the Australian Day Tasting Dublin (#ADTWine) this week (thank you Jean Smullen for the invitation) and it was fantastic! Great atmosphere, nice people, good wines… what else would you want?

Just because I was a bit in a hurry doesn’t mean I didn’t taste everything! Well, I missed one or 2 tables, I confess, but I got into the spirit! I started from producers looking for distributors – even some of them already sell in UK – then the producers already represented in Ireland, and I found some nice gems!

Ochota Barrels “The Fugazi Vineyard” McLaren Vale Grenache 2015: light cherry, with notes of fresh berries, sweet spices and something floral in the back. Long finishing and firm tannins.

Kangarilla Road “Terzetto” McLaren Vale Sangiovese Primitivo Nebbiolo 2013: Red berries, sweet spices, full-bodied. Good value for €18.

Luke Lambert Yarra Valley Nebbiolo 2015: Fresh and aromatic, red cherries, plums and spices with subtle citric and herbal. A real fine wine, exploring the beauty of Nebbiolo!

Grosset “Gaia” Clare Valley Blend 2013: Light purple, blackcurrant, plums, woody. Velvety, silky, long finishing. Lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc!

That’s all for now…I might post other notes later.

31
Jul 15
0

Barbazul 2010

Tags : Cabernet Sauvignon Cadiz Merlot Spain Syrah Tintilla de Rota

Made from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the outstanding Tintilla de Rota, a recovered local variety, this wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and rests in French oak barrels for 5 months.

Very bright and deep cherry colour with purple reflections and an explosion of aromas, black berries, jammy fruit, spicy, with a creamy touch, chocolate, toffee, liquorice and some toasted aromas. Subtle herbal and mineral aromas. Very tasty in the palate with notes of fruit and creamy feeling with nice balsamic and toasted aromas in the background. Good and long finish, very pleasant and tasty.

22
Jun 13
0

The day after: Viña Arnáiz Roble, DO Ribera Del Duero

Tags : Cabernet Sauvignon DO Riberra Del Duero Merlot Spain Tempranillo

I love to host people at home, it’s such a pleasure! Last night we had a friends couple for bruschettas – or something like that! Basically tapas & wine. Who needs more? To match the bruschettas – chopped tomatoes, buffalo’s mozzarella, olive oil, black pepper, and bread – I opened one of the my recent discoveries, Viña Arnáiz Roble 2011, DO Ribera Del Duero. A young crianza red wine made from Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.
A careful treatment is given to strains along the year, from setting the date of the harvest when the grapes have reached optimum maturity in each plot, till proceeds to hand picking the grapes, where plots are manually selected, which of those grapes will be part of the blend of the wine.Once the grapes get at the winery, they are are ground and pass the maceration tank till they achieve the desired balance in the composition of the wine. They then proceed to racking it by gravity without mechanical actuation and the wine obtained after a first racking, is the malolactic fermentation.This Viña Arnáiz matures in French oak barrels for 4 months, during which is performed three racking to help oxygenate the wine.They recommend to open this Ribera Del Duero Roble at least one hour before drinking it, and to pour it in a decanter – if you can – to better appreciate all its virtues… And so I did. Opened it a good hour before serving, poured it into a decanter and… voilá! The wine was fantastic… BUT, I have to confess, ashamedly, that we didn’t finish the second bottle, and I had to pour it back to the bottle and left it on the refrigerator till the next day.Lunch time – gnocchi à bolognesa. What to drink? The left-over Viña Arnáiz Roble. And guess what? The wine was even better! All the subtle aromas were more accentuated, the velvet sensation from the malolatic, the freshness from the maceration, the red & black fruits, and even a mocha finish!

This is, among others, one of my The Day After Wine”.

24
Nov 12
0

Tasting Quinta do Carmo 2008

Tags : Alentejo Alicante Bouschet Aragonese Cabernet Sauvignon Trincadeira

Occasionally it is only known that a good wine was drunk when you drink another else…

The wine:
Quinta do Carmo 2008, from vines planted in clay and shale soil, selected from traditional Alentejo varieties – Aragonese, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet – and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon to give it more structure.

In the eye:
Deep and clear ruby-garnet, showing that it wasn’t just brought from the vineyards to the bottle.

On the nose:
Delicate notes of black fruit, chocolate and a bit of toast.

In the mouth:
It has enviable delicacy and lightness itself, with balanced tannins and acidity without excessive plus a intense black fruit with chocolate and tobacco.

Comments:
No hype and no pretenses. A good wine, with its own profile, to be consumed with specific moderate spiced food. It doesn’t disappoint, and fulfills well its role.

16
Nov 12
0

Tasting Millésime Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Tags : Brazil Cabernet Sauvignon

Here in Brazil, I’ve been drinking the Aurora Reserve edition – Cabernet Sauvignon and Tanat. They’ve shown to be a very good wine, even better when you consider the price range: R$25 (€9.50).

I did try the “Pequeanas Partilhas” but it didn’t impress me, so I didn’t bother even mentioning it. Now I tasted the special edition Millésime, a top-line from Aurora winery. They made this wine from 5 harvest only – 1991, 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2008. This particular vintage has been aging for 10 months in American and French barrels.

Wine:
This is an Aurora’s Millésime Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, produced in Serra Gaúcha, Brazil. It’s priced at R$54 (€20). The tasting took place in my parent’s house, on 16/11/2012.

Eye:|
It’s a clear, deep garnet colour, with a orange-ish halo in the borders.

Nose:
It’s a clean smell, with pronounced intensity and notes of ripped fruits, blackberries, blackcurrant, coconut, oak and cedar.

Mouth:
Dry with a medium to high acidity, and elegant tannins. Medium to full body, with medium to long lenght. Jammy fruits, blackcurrant, oak and vegetables (green bell pepper) on the palate.

Conclusion:
Still a good wine, showing more herbaceous and vegetables notes than fruits, but a nice fruitty nose. 89/100.

09
Nov 12
0

Tasting Elos 2007

Tags : Bento Gonçalves Brazil Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec

Leia em Português

Once I’m in Brazil, I felt almost obliged to taste something national.

I always had in mind that Brazilian wines are not good, mainly because of the value rather than the quality. Now is time to check.

I got into a nice wine shop, in a beautiful shopping center. The attender, very friendly and helpful, seemed desperate to help me – what I allowed. I told him I’d like to prove a good brazilian wine! As any other salesman, he brought me the top line ones, which I politely declined. I was looking for something honest, as honest are the Argentine and Chilean wines in the 40 to 50 reais range (15 to 20 euros). He suggested me with a Elos 2007, Lidio Carraro, which tasted in my parents’ house in São Caetano do Sul, SP, Brazil.

The Wine:
Elos 2007, produced by Lidio Carraro in Terras de Encruzilhada do Sul, Bento Gonçalves, Brazil. It has 13% of alcohol and is made from the Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, without stating the percentage. It cost me R$65 (€ 25).

On the eye:
The color was not very clear. Suggested to be a deep yellow-brown, but actually was a little hazy, almost bricky.

On the nose:
The aroma was somewhat unclear, without much definition. Medium intensity, with subtle notes of blackberry, raspberry and a bit of cooked red fruit jam.

On the mouth:
Dry, medium acidity, medium body and low tannins. Little fruit on the palate (blackberries, jammy) and vegetables (cabbage, asparagus).

Conclusion:
Could be a good wine, on the boundary of the medium, but considering the price, I rate it average, verging the border of a good one. Acceptable. (EM-78/100)

Leia em Português

20
Oct 12
0

Tasting Llebre 2009

Tags : Cabernet Sauvignon Carignan Grenache Merlot Spain Syrah Tempranillo

I brought this wine from Spain recently, and offered it to some friends. The feedback was positive… No surprise, as it got a respectable 90 points Parker! So I decided to taste it.

Llebre is produced by Tomás Cusiné, which is located on the northern side of the Sierra de La Llena, part of the Sierra del Montsant. Its vineyards are situated at an altitude between 700 and 740 metres; the soils are limestone and the lands have gravel on the surface with clayey subsoil. Costers Del Sagres is a DO (Denominación de Origen) area.

Llebre 2009 is made from Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grapes, it was aged in French oak for 3 months before bottled, which brings toasty notes to the palate, and subtle oak to the nose.

The nose also is plenty of aromas of red fruits, and in the mouth it’s silky and fresh, with soft tannins and good acidity, plenty of red fruit jam, spices, and a discrete oak.

A very good wine, which I enjoyed which I enjoyed with a wine-peppered sauced steak… Fantastique!

Tag Archives: Cabernet Sauvignon

Feb 17

0

Australian Day Wine Tasting in Dublin

Jul 15

0

Barbazul 2010

Jun 13

0

The day after: Viña Arnáiz Roble, DO Ribera Del Duero

Nov 12

0

Tasting Quinta do Carmo 2008

Nov 12

0

Tasting Millésime Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Nov 12

0

Tasting Elos 2007

Oct 12

0

Tasting Llebre 2009

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