The 2007 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon has a very deep garnet-purple color and pronounced notes of black currant, blackberry, hung meat, pencil shavings and damp earth. Crisp and tight in the mouth, this medium-bodied wine has firm chewy tannins and high acidity though is just a little lacking in mid-palate fruit, finishing long. Approachable now, it should cellar to 2016. Remaining one of Australia’s oldest, largest and most prestigious family owned companies, Yalumba’s top wines should not be overlooked amongst the limelight-hogging young-gun wines that have sprung-up around the Barossa in the last 20 years. Some of the region’s finest vineyards are owned or contracted by this company. They’ve also contributed considerably to the quality of vine material available throughout the region with the impressive developments at the Yalumba nursery. Regarding the current releases, The Signature and Octavius won’t be released in 2007. I was informed that in 2008 all their reds were picked before the first week of March but there were no single site wines made in 2008 because it was felt the fruit wasn’t expressing the sites. 2009 was a good year and everything will be released, though winemaker Louisa Rose confessed that their early maturing Shiraz suffered the most in the 2009 heat spike. Importer: Negociants USA, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-0993

Lithe, generous and deftly balanced to play its ripe blackberry and currant flavors against hints of wet earth and bay leaf. The finish slides elegantly through refined tannins and a hint of charred meat. A lovely wine. Best from 2012 through 2017. 200 cases imported.??–HS??Region: Australia / Coonawarra Select to Add