The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon S2 spent 16 months in French oak of various sizes. A glass-coating opaque purple/black, it offers up an enticing nose of cedar, violets, incense, spice box, black currant, and blackberry. Layered and opulent on the palate, this mouth-filling wine is packed with fruit and flavor. There is some underlying structure but this is a wine to drink in its first 6-8 years of life. With veteran vigneron Chris Ringland now in charge of the winemaking, I can state unequivocally that this is the finest collection of Marquis Philips wines since the label was started in 2000. Nevertheless, these wines will be controversial because all but one of the non-Roogle wines is over 16% alcohol. The small but vocal crowd of Australia bashers will have a field day taking these wines to task as they do with the Mollydooker wines (which seem to sell out anyway). Ringland is concerned about flavor and balance which is what these wines are all about. Those seeking low alcohol, subtlety, and finesse should of course look elsewhere. Those who want a big mouthful of sensual pleasure should read on. The Roogle Series is meant to be a bargain-priced introduction to the Marquis Philips upper level wines. The Marquis Philips wines are predominantly sourced from McLaren Vale while the Roogle wines are multi-regional.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (805) 278-9095

This round red offers a silky texture to its ripe cherry, sage and white pepper flavors, which linger on the polished finish. Drink now through 2012. 1,300 cases made.??–HS??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

The 2007 MP Cabernet Sauvignon S2 spent 16 months in French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it emits enticing notes of cedar, leather, earth, black currant, and blackberry. Medium to full-bodied, this firm Cabernet has enough structure to evolve for several years. It has excellent depth, savory black fruit flavors, plenty of spice, and good length. This well-balanced effort should be at its best from 2010 to 2017. R Wines is the company founded by importer and bacon baron Dan Philips and the veteran vigneron Chris Ringland. It encompasses four familiar labels, Marquis Philips (designated MP in these listings), 3 Rings, Roogle, and Bitch, along with 13 others created especially for R Wines. As is usual for master marketer Philips, the packaging is amazingly creative but, more importantly, the wines consistently over-deliver from low end to high end. The conclusion of this report contains a list of Values $20 and Under. Twenty-four R Wines are noted, many of which offer exceptional bang-for-the buck. What follows are notes are for the R Wines over $20. The rest of the Shiraz were sourced from the highly regarded 60+-year-old Ebenezer vineyards of Adrian Hoffman who is a partner in the venture.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (805) 278-9095

Interestingly, the more expensive 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon S2 which spent 14 months in seasoned French oak is more one-dimensional and structured than the regular bottling with a compact finish. It is likely to evolve but is something of a gamble whereas the “regular” bottling is a sure thing. R Wines is a new company founded by importer and marketing genius, Dan Philips, along with co-owner, renowned winemaker, Chris Ringland. Winemakers for R Wines are Chris Ringland, Lisa Wetherell, Andrew Hercock, and John Hughes. It encompasses four familiar labels, Marquis Philips, 3 Rings, Roogle, and Bitch, along with 13 others created especially for R Wines. Needless to say, the packaging of these wines is amazingly creative but, more importantly, what is in the bottle consistently over-delivers from low-end to high-end.The Marquis Philips wines have established a six year track record of delivering a big bang for the buck. The wines are now made by a team put together by Dan Philips and Chris Ringland with absolutely no change in quality. Starting with the 2006 vintage, however, all of the fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale. The other change of note is that Merlot has been dropped from the program, primarily because of the difficulty of finding Merlot good enough to merit the M-P label.Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; (805) 278-9095