Description
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this Mother’s Ruin is aptly named as it is so delicious! It’s just as the producer says below,…”a well balanced expression of McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon…” and I can see exactly why they call it “an ode to the ‘luncheon claret” as it is a lighter style of Cabernet with young black fruit flavours and less of the secondary and tertiary aromas and flavours that you would expect from a long-aged claret. The tannins are dry but not at all harsh. I was torn which category to put this in and opted for the soft fruity red category because of its lighter body though it is also very smooth.
Food Pairing
This concentrated medium-bodied wine with noticeable yet velvety tannins is a great match for beef, lamb, goose and game; also a good match for mushrooms, hard cheeses and mild blue cheeses.
Serve at: 15 – 17°C
Producer's Notes
“This well balanced expression of McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon is an ode to the ‘luncheon claret’, but it’s not as green and austere as that favourite lunchtime libation at the gentleman’s club. The fruit is from a vineyard with good breeding in the [Willunga] foothills and the resulting wine has been made in a fruit driven style this vintage. It has classic First Drop drinkability, so bottoms up!
Colour: Dark plum. Bouquet: Cassis and plum fruit flavours with hints of eucalypt and florals. Palate: Black fruits with a round mid palate, an elegant core of tannins and a textured finish”
Awards
17 points – JancisRobinson.com – Apr 2020
“Deep ruby with some brick at the rim. After a run of Shirazes, this is so distinctive in its unashamed Cabernet character. Leafy, minty cassis with a strong cassis-leaf fresh aroma. Dry, super-fine tannins giving shape to this lovely Cabernet fruit, which is cool and fresh. Mouth-watering and marked by capsicum vegetal flavour but not underripe. Lovely fragrant Cabernet.”
90 points – Wine Spectator – Oct 2020
“Impressive for the purity and intensity of the blueberry, wild strawberry and framboise flavors, this red is fresh and juicy, with green tea, black pepper and fresh loamy accents, plus spice and tobacco grace notes, on a smooth frame. Drink now through 2030.”