I’m flagging up this wine as it really is a stunning bargain and is on sale in the UK as part of Sainsbury’s Drinks Festival from today 15 feb until 14 mar. All Australian and American wines and their pretty wide selection of bottled Belgian beers are being reduced by 25 per cent across the board. There’s an extra five per cent off if you buy at least six bottles.
I recommended it last nov, as below, when it was selling at full price £6.99 but at £5.24 it is seriously underpriced – if, and only if, you like the pure, classical, minerally style of Coonawarra Cabernet. I strongly advise that if serving it to someone else, you decant it. The aeration won’t harm it but your guest would be horrified by the boring, utilitarian label.
Sainsbury’s Classic Selection Coonawarra Cabernet 2002
Truly terrible label, like so many of Sainsbury’s, but a great price [I said this when it iwas £6.99!]. This is so obviously Coonawarra Cabernet and was made by the estimable Katnook. It’s almost mature and a great expression of place and grape. A bargain.
Notes from Katnook on the wine:
‘The wine is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes taken from our Coonawarra vineyards. The wines were fermented in a mixture of roto-fermenters and static fermenters which allowed the gentle extraction of flavour and colour components from the skins. The wines remained on skins until such time optimum extraction of the skins had been achieved. The wine was then pressed and fermented to dryness in tank.
‘Approximately 70 per cent of this wine was matured in oak [barrels] of which 25per cent were new. Maturation time in oak was approximately 18 months. This achieved a subtle mellowing of the wines tannin structure whilst imparting a well integrated oak character. Portions matured in stainless steel vessels give a deep, vibrant fruit character to the wine.
‘Fine cool conditions in the early stages of the harvest period allowed the fruit to be picked at optimum flavour maturity and acid balance. Below average yields meant that flavours were highly concentrated and the wines displayed distinct varietal characters with balanced acidity and good palate depth.
Analysis:
Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Coonawarra
Harvest: Cabernet Sauvignon; 11apr to 15 may
Alcohol: 14 per cent
pH: 3.36
TA: 7.2’
The 2002 vintage was regarded as fairly cool but superior in Coonwarra. Other notable reductions in this Drinks Festival include Zontes Footstep Shiraz Viognier 2004 Langhorne Creek from £7.99 to £5.99 ( reduction that also applies at Somerfield until 28 feb and usually somewhere) and Little Boomey Cabernet Merlot 2001(!) Orange from £4.99 to £3.74 (though I haven't tasted it for years – what a tragedy what has happened to this promising region).
Many apologies to the many of you who live outside the UK but this is too good to ignore – and apologies too that the excitement of the arrival of our subscriptions supremo's new baby and my visit to the Loire, I am a day late publishing this (though you would not have been able to buy it yesterday).