Tonight we’ve decided to drink an ‘out of towner’. Hanwood Estate 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from McWilliam’s. My wife Elouise used to live just down the road from McWilliams and my father-in-law still does. Having grown grapes on his farm for 40 or so years, I’d say he’s probably sold grapes to these guys as well. These two (Elle & Pat) have consumed a fair amount of McWilliam’s wine over the years and I think I`m close to having caught up. I used to think about this wine as the type that I’d have a few glasses during the week as a good, honest red wine. I appreciate it much more these days and I sincerely think it’s better than that. When my father-in-law visited us in Canberra a couple of weeks back, he was gob-smacked that it was for sale at Urban Cellars in Curtin for $6.99 a bottle. Pat said he couldn’t get it for that even with a grower’s discount. He popped out that day and snavelled two cases. He gave Elle and I one of them. Thanks big guy!
Now, to the wine itself. On the nose I sense a light vanilla/mint aroma. Subtle, but it`s there. The fruit I could smell was some nice blackcurrant. Elle, despite being blocked up with a cold, said she could sense a creamy flavour which could mean malolactic fermentation which changes the jamy type of acids to a more creamy flavour. She knows her stuff that Elle so I didn’t second guess her. We used to attend a regular tasting when we lived in London which was attended by regulars and Elle used to pull out some amazing picks as to what she thought the wine was. One such ripper was a Sangiovese that she picked early in the night to the impressed conservative nods of a few wine drinking English folk. `Bravo! Here, here!’ went the compliments in lovely Brit accents. Simon, the wine host was equally impressed. I digress (massively). On the pallet-I get lovely soft tannin, that little bit of grit on my teeth and some nice berry fruit. This wine is a bit of a bargain at the moment…just saying!
Cheers – Suits
