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    St. Andrews

    Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

    Result Bronze 0

    Result Silver 0

    Result Gold 0

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    Complex and elegant, offering rich fruit characters of cassis and blackcurrant with earthy nuances. French oak giving hints of cedar and tobacco to finish.

    TEST Download full winemaker notes

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    Honours and awards
    Accolades

    Honours and awards

    • Wine Show
    • Award
    • Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2021
    • Trophy
    • El Concurso International Vinus 2021
    • Trophy
    • El Concurso International Vinus 2021
    • Trophy
    • International Wine Awards 2021
    • Great Gold
    • Catavinum World Wine & Spirit Competition 2021
    • Great Gold
    • Sakura Japan Womens Wine Awards 2021
    • Double Gold
    • Great American International Wine Competition 2021
    • Double Gold
    • China Wine & Spirits Awards 2021
    • Double Gold
    • El Concurso International Vinus 2021
    • Double Gold
    • Korea Wine Challenge 2021
    • Gold
    • VinAgora International Wine Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Challenge International du Vin 2021
    • Gold
    • Dan Berger International Wine Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Selections Mondial Des Vins CANADA 2021
    • Gold
    • Critics Challenge International Wine Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2021
    • Gold
    • Stuttgart International Wine Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Wine Showcase Magazine New Release Tasting 2021
    • Gold
    • Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival International Judging 2021
    • Gold
    • Pacific Rim International Wine Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Wine Master Challenge World Wine Contest 2021
    • Gold
    • San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge 2021
    • Gold
    • Berliner Wine Trophy 2021
    • Gold
    • World Wine Championships Awards BTI 2021
    • Gold
    • Wine Showcase Magazine New Release Tasting 2021
    • Gold
    • Stellar Cellar Selection BTI 2021
    • Gold
    • Gilbert & Gaillard International -Guides Des Vin 2021
    • Gold
    • New Zealand International Wine Show 2021
    • Gold
    • New York World Wine & Spirits Competition 2021
    • Gold
    • Mundus Vini International Wine Awards 2021
    • Gold
    • awc Vienna International Wine Challenge 2021
    • Gold
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    Wine details
    VITAL STATISTICS

    Wine details

    • At release, the wine is an intense red colour with a vibrant purple hue to the edge. 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. On the palate it is a very well-balanced wine with ripe blackcurrant characters, along with chocolate and mint intermingling harmoniously with oak characters of cedar and subtle tobacco. There is an understated power to the wine, with layers of complexity building across the palate and then finishing elegantly with long, fine tannins. It is a generous wine yet retains poise and the elegance of great Cabernet Sauvignon.

    • Once harvested, the grapes for this wine were taken the short distance to the winery where they were gently de-stemmed to protect the vibrant fruit characters and minimise any maceration and extraction of harsh tannins. The fruit was then transferred to stainless steel tanks where it was left to cold soak on skins for a period of 5 days before being inoculated with a specialist Cabernet Sauvignon yeast strain. Fermentation then ensued at a constant 22 – 25 degrees Celsius and the must was gently mixed twice daily. 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 in May 2017.

    • In the Clare Valley, the growing season in the lead up to vintage 2015 saw slightly higher than average amounts of 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. The first evidence of budburst appeared in the last week of August which is relatively normal. 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 led to higher evapotranspiration (water loss), and despite our significant irrigation effort during October and November, still had a detrimental impact on flowering with resultant bunch numbers down on average. 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 vines on the estate responding well for both yield and quality.

      Block Information: St Andrews Vineyard, Blocks A70, A10, G20, G50 Harvest dates: 1st to 7th of April. Night & early morning.

    • Clare Valley

      • Acid: 7.42
      • Alc %: 14.79
      • PH: 3.44
      • Residual Sugar: 0.78

    • This wine is evolving well at release yet should cellar well to 2029 or possibly longer.

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    16

    Reviews
    EXPERT APPRAISALS

    Reviews

    • Qatar Airways Cabernet & Bordeaux Challenge 2018

      4 Jan 2018
      5 Stars
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    • Panel, Cabernet Sauvignon Tastings 2018

      5 Jan 2018
      96 Points
      Dried 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)
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    • Raymond Chan, Taylor Brown – A Selection of The Best Wines

      7 Jan 2018
      19/20
      Very 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.
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    • Nick Stock, Red Progression: The Future Of Great Clare Valley Reds

      7 Jan 2018
      92 Points
      A 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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    • James Halliday, 100 New Notes: Halliday Tasting Notes for 100 Australian Wines

      9 Jan 2018
      95 Points / 5 Stars
      Coaxing 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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    • Michael Cooper, New Zealand's top imported wines for every budget

      9 Jan 2018
      Already 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.
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    • James Halliday,

      8 Jan 2018
      95 Points
      Coaxing 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.
      Show more

    • Huon Hooke,

      11 Jan 2018
      95 Points
      Deepish 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.)
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    • Robert Whitley,

      12 Jan 2018
      93 Points
      A 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!
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    • The Best Wines of 2018

      1 Jan 2019
      A 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.
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    • Ronn Weigand MW, MS, Star Listings (Issues #181, #182 & #183)

      1 Jan 2019
      Screw 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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    • Huon Hooke,

      2 Jan 2019
      95 Points
      The 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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    • Yvonne Lorkin, Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

      4 Jan 2019
      Red 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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    • Matthew Jukes, 100 Best Australian Wines 2019/20

      5 Jan 2019
      2015 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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    • Nick Stock, Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever

      6 Jan 2019
      92 Points
      A 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.
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    • Bob Campbell MW,

      7 Jan 2019
      96 Points
      Winemaker, 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.
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