Cabernet
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La Puerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 NZD $17.95
Big and earthy! Another inky number from the ancient soils around the foothills of the Andes of Argentina. Full of funky smoke, cedar and dust on the nose, with an under-current of black fruits, damson, violets and cherry. Big on flavour with black fruit flavours gripping the tastebuds and as it slides like a snake down the back of the palate. -
Beresford McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 NZD $24.95
From the very highly regarded 2007 vintage this wine shows classic Cabernet mint and cassis on the nose with evident, cedary oak. Densely textured and with outstanding structure there is masses of flavour on the palate which shows concentrated flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry and spicy oak and a rich powerful finish. Top class warm climate Cabernet! -
Clearview Old Olive Block Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2010 NZD $39.95
A classic Bordeaux style made from 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 12% Malbec. This has a wonderful nose and the palate is generous, warm and spicy with complex flavours of cassis and plum. Savoury cedar oak and long soft tannins finish this wine beautifully. Age from 3 to 12 years, earlier for a more fruit driven style.
The grapes were all hand picked from a mixture of our estate 20 year old vines and some fruit from Gimblett Road. The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed in 2000 litre tanks, cold macerated for 3 days and fermented with a mixture of wild and inoculated yeasts. Temperatures reached 32ºC with a 4 hourly hand plunging and daily rack and returns. The wine then spent 28 days undergoing extended maceration. The individual components were fermented separately and then blended at 12 months, undergoing 6 months ageing as a single parcel.
Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made. -
Clearview Basket Press Cabernet Merlot 2007 NZD $149.00
Basket Press is made only in exceptional vintages and only from the best parcel of grapes from Clearview's Coastal Hawkes Bay Vineyards. Grapes are hand picked, basket pressed* and aged in the finest new french oak for 12 months. The results, as you would expect are stunning.
The wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. All fruit was hand picked and fermented individually with 3 hourly hand plunging. The individual parcels were blended after 18 months in oak barrel. The wine was subsequently aged a further 12 months in new French Oak barriques. Due to the limited volume of quality fruit needed for this wine, less than 50 dozen bottles were produced.
The nose is extremely powerful and concentrated, with intense dark berry, cassis and plum at the core, with nuances of mint, earth and game supporting. On palate, the richness and ripeness of the fruit is manifest in sweetness, but kept in check by layers of leather and tar complexities and a mass of spicy oak. The tannins are very fine-grained, somewhat overwhelmed by the opulence. Yet this has the structure and density to age 15-20 years without hesitation. Less than 50 dozen were made.
*NOTE: A basket press consists of a large basket that is filled with the crushed grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit. The mechanism to lower the plate is often either a screw or a hydraulic device. The juice flows through openings in the basket. The basket style press was the first type of mechanized press to be developed, and its basic design has not changed in nearly 1000 years.
Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
How to buy
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Case Price applies to 12 or more of the same wine.
Delivery
La Cantina delivers anywhere in New Zealand. Our delivery rates are:
- Auckland: $3.95 per case
- Rest of North Island: $7.95 per case
- South Island: $9.95 per case
Rural delivery fee $3.50
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Guarantee
I personally select and taste every wine I recommend ~ if you don't like it, please send it back to me and I will either replace it with something more suitable to your taste or issue you a full refund.
Ben Naden