St. Andrews
Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Complex and elegant, offering rich fruit characters of cassis and blackcurrant with earthy nuances. French oak giving hints of cedar and tobacco to finish.
| Previous Vintages | 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Region | Clare Valley |
| Colour | At release, the wine is a deep, dark garnet colour with a subtle purple hue to the edge. |
| Nose | The wine has an enticing, lifted aroma of ripe blackcurrants, choc mint, subtle spice and a hint of dried tomato leaf. The overall nose character is one of richness and elegance. |
| Vintage Conditions | In the Clare Valley, the growing season in the lead up to vintage 2015 saw slightly higher than average rainfall initially and then very little fell, making it the driest ever August recorded at the estate. These conditions were conducive to frost and there were 14 events recorded. Rainfall for spring was well below average, with further frost events recorded during this time. Not only was the spring weather extremely dry, it was also warm and windy. These conditions had a detrimental impact on flowering with resultant bunch numbers down. December and January were relatively mild, with rain falling during the second week of January. The moisture was a welcome relief after such a dry spring and the vineyards on the estate responding well for both yield and quality. |
| Oak Maturation | Post primary fermentation, the wine was allowed a period of extended skin contact before being pressed and transferred to French oak barrels to complete the secondary malolactic fermentation. Once MLF was completed, the wine was racked off lees, fined and then then transferred back to fine-grained French oak barrels (40% new, 60% 2 - 3 year old) for maturation. After a period of 18 months oak maturation and minimal filtration, the wine was bottled. |
| Cellaring Notes | Crafted for immediate enjoyment but will cellar over a long term under ideal conditions. |
| Alc%: | 14.8 |
|---|---|
| Acid: | 7.42 |
| Residual Sugar: | 0.78 |
| Wine Type: | Red |
| Wine Body: | Full |
| Blend or Single Variety: | Single Variety |
| Pack Size: | Single: 750ml bottle Case: 6 x 750ml bottle |
- 2017
- Michelangelo International Wine Awards
- Trophy
- 2017
- El Concurso International Vinus
- Trophy
- 2017
- El Concurso International Vinus
- Trophy
- 2018
- International Wine Awards
- Great Gold
- 2018
- Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition
- Great Gold
- 2018
- Sakura Japan Womens Wine Awards
- Double Gold
- 2018
- Great American International Wine Competition
- Double Gold
- 2017
- China Wine & Spirits Awards
- Double Gold
- 2017
- El Concurso International Vinus
- Double Gold
- 2018
- Korea Wine Challenge
- Gold
- 2018
- VinAgora International Wine Competition
- Gold
- 2018
- Challenge International du Vin
- Gold
- 2018
- Dan Berger International Wine Competition
- Gold
- 2018
- Selections Mondial Des Vins CANADA
- Gold
- 2018
- Critics Challenge International Wine Competition
- Gold
- 2018
- Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
- Gold
- 2018
- Stuttgart International Wine Competition
- Gold
- 2017
- Wine Showcase Magazine New Release Tasting
- Gold
- 2018
- Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival International Judging
- Gold
- 2018
- Pacific Rim International Wine Competition
- Gold
- 2018
- Wine Master Challenge World Wine Contest
- Gold
- 2018
- San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge
- Gold
- 2017
- Berliner Wine Trophy
- Gold
- 2018
- World Wine Championships Awards BTI
- Gold
- 2017
- Wine Showcase Magazine New Release Tasting
- Gold
- 2017
- Stellar Cellar Selection BTI
- Gold
- 2017
- Gilbert & Gaillard International -Guides Des Vin
- Gold
- 2017
- New Zealand International Wine Show
- Gold
- 2017
- New York World Wine & Spirits Competition
- Gold
- 2017
- Mundus Vini International Wine Awards
- Gold
- 2018
- awc Vienna International Wine Challenge
- Gold
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Panel, Drinks Trade
Jan 201896 PointsDried fruits, mocha, dark fruits. A magical wine with great balance (Daryl Fisher, GM Fisher Fine Wines) Leafy aromas, cassis, pencil box, good structure, medium weight, a good wine (DS, Red+White) -
Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
Jan 201996 PointsWinemaker, Adam Eggins, wanted to make a wine with restrained power. I think he has produced a wine of power, although it's hardly restrained. Intense, almost lusciously fruity wine with violet, floral, red rose, cassis and dark berry flavours interwoven with spicy oak. A lovely wine that's dangerously accessible. -
James Halliday, Halliday Magazine
Jan 201895 Points / 5 StarsCoaxing Clare Valley cabernet to behave well in public isn't easy, but was achieved here. Destemmed, 5 days cold soak, fermented with specialist cabernet yeast, extended skin contact before pressing to French oak (40% new), matured for 18 months. The oak, in particular, has tamed the fruit, the choice of yeast likewise important. Cassis, tar, olive, earth and quality oak all emerge once the bouquet and palate have been revisited several times.
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James Halliday, James Halliday Wine Companion
Jan 201895 PointsCoaxing Clare Valley cabernet to behave well in public isn't easy, but was achieved here. Destemmed, 5 days cold soak, fermented with specialist cabernet yeast, extended skin contact before pressing to French oak (40% new), matured for 18 months. The oak, in particular, has tamed the fruit, the choice of yeast likewise important. Cassis, tar, olive, earth and quality oak all emerge once the bouquet and palate have been revisited several times. -
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Jan 201895 PointsDeepish red colour with a trace of purple in the rim. The bouquet is likewise showing a little forward-development, and is mocha, toasty and oaky with a creosote or linseed oil overtone. Sweet berry flavours, raspberry and blackberry, sweet-fruit in the middle and then a gentle, soft tannin finish. Lovely texture and balance, with ready accessibility. (Footnote: the oak is much subtler in this vintage than some earlier vintages.) -
Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Jan 201995 PointsThe bouquet is lovely, clean, ripe cabernet fruit, loaded with cassis and a trace of peppermint. It's fresh and primary, a change in direction for this wine? The fruit is doing the talking, moreso than I can recall any St Andrews Cabernet. There is still plenty of tannin but it's not overdone, but nicely measured. Delicious sweet fruit, with pinpoint ripeness and elegance. A huge change from the earlier vintages. Oak is barely noticed. Lovely balance. A highly-awarded wine and deservedly so. 26/2/2019
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Robert Whitley, Wine Review Online
Jan 201893 PointsA nice balance of black fruit, mint and menthol that shows location and pleases with balance. A long finish with seamless integration and popping acidity keeps you returning to the glass. Bring on the beef or lamb! -
Nick Stock, jamessuckling.com
Jan 201992 PointsA very classically styled cabernet that has abundant cedary and spicy oak, framing ripe blackcurrant, dark-plum, chocolate and earthy aromas. The palate has richness, served up in a smoothly integrated web of tannin. Drink or hold. Screw cap. -
Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com
Jan 201892 PointsA bold, dark-berry and stony edge. A brooding feel to the nose, showing dark plums and tarry, iodine-like notes. There's a sense of density to the palate, delivering a smooth, long and juicy array of dark berries and cassis fruits. Good shape and depth. Drink now.
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, Winestate
Jan 20185 Stars -
Raymond Chan, Raymond Chan Wine Review
Jan 201819/20Very dark, deep, black-hued purple-red colour, a little lighter on the rim. The nose is very concentrated with intense and deeply penetrating aromas of ripe blackcurrants and cassis liqueur, along with a soft, harmonious layering of mint and fresh herbs and subtle suggestions of eucalyptus and menthol. The fruit is complexed by spicy, cedary and smoky oak providing lift and depth. Full-bodied, the palate has a sweetly rich, deeply concentrated and packed core of generous blackcurrant fruit flavours along with cassis and blackberries, unfolding mint herb and menthol nuances. He fruit is mouthfilling and underlined by considerable fine, grainy tannin structure and grip, with lacy acidity lending tension and energy. The wine carries positively, unveiling cedary, pencilly and smoky oak as it carries to a rich and sustained finish. This is a rich, lusciously concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon with blackcurrant, blackberry and cassis with mint and cedary, smoky oak on a well-structured palate. Serve with lamb, beef and venison over the next 10-12+ years. Fruit from the best blocks of the Taylors estate, fermented to 14.79% alc., the wine aged 18 months in 40% new French oak. -
Matthew Jukes, 100 Best Australian Wines 2019/20
Jan 20192015 St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine which has won the most extraordinary haul of gold medals and even a few trophies in South America recently. Adam posted a few bottles off on a whim and it turns out that the judges think that this wine and others from the range, too, make this one of the most awarded wineries on earth right now! For my part, St Andrews Cabernet has always been an impressive wine but it is the level of coffee bean, liquorice, spice and chocolate which I like so much in this wine and as the years roll on it becomes a wine with more control and tenderness and less overt power and this makes it an even more attractive proposition.
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Michael Cooper, Noted
Jan 2018Already drinking well, this dark, sturdy (14.5% alc/vol) South Australian red is fragrant and rich. Showing impressive complexity, it has an array of ripe blackcurrant, olive, liquorice, dark chocolate and nut flavours, with a deliciously smooth finish. -
, Winestate
Jan 2019A mix of minty cassis fruit and oak on the nose and a powerful flavoursome complexity of rich sweet dark berries to the seamlessly balanced palate. Has loads of character. -
Ronn Weigand MW, MS, Restaurant Wine
Jan 2019Screw cap. A very fine Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, in a medium rich, balanced style. It is smoothly textured, lightly oaky (but balanced), with good depth of flavor, and a long, firm finish, tasting of blackberry, black currant, cassis, black pepper, dried fig, spicy oak, cedar, and vanilla. Needs aging. Great value. Five day cold soak. Aged 18 months in French oak barrels, 40% new. 14.79% [2021-2025]
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Yvonne Lorkin, Yvonne Lorkin Blog
Jan 2019Red wine lovers, look out. What this wine has is a very particular set of skills. Skills it’s acquired over a very long time, skills that make it a nightmare for people who don’t like cabernet. Because it’s so glorious. If you give in to its powers now, that’ll be the end of it. It will not look for you. It will not pursue you. But if you don’t, It will look for you, It will find you, and it will probably kill – your wallet. Because it is outrageously lovely to drink. The Taylor family went to the bank back in 1995 and asked them if they’d do them a solid and let them purchase the historic St Andrews vineyard (planted back in 1892) so that they could step their cabernet sauvignon up a notch. You could, based on the incredible number of gold medals on its grill, deduce that this wine is more than a tad flash. You’d be correct, but I have to tell you just how incredibly seductive and alluring it is. Espresso, cocoa, and sweet, ripe plum and boysenberry flavours burst from the glass, and they’re cuddled by cedar, smoke, and silky spices. It’s generously proportioned, velvety, elegant, and incredibly delicious with Cantonese beef swimming in rich pepper sauce.
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