Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet and violet in appearance. A rush of intense ripe red fruits comes first to the nose with expressive notes of dark cherry, strawberry and Satsuma plum. The bouquet is then completed with aromas of white caramel, vanilla and peppercorns, along with a subtle hint of smoky oak and dark cocoa nibs. A bright attack of ripe plums, black and red cherry leading to delicate notes of smoky oak and liquorice and hints of wild game and forest floor. The structural and fine tannins combine perfectly with the fruit intensity and well-balanced acidity to provide a beautiful mouthfeel and length on the palate.
This wine pairs excellent alongside beef tartare or venison carpaccio. It is also an excellent match with oyster mushrooms marinated in truffle butter or to accompany a fine dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A smooth rendition of this southerly Margaret River cabernet. It offers dark berries, red plum compote, spiced black tea and cedary oak influence on the nose. The palate has a deep and long sleeve of fleshy ripe cabernet fruit that is cast in smooth, long tannins. An approachable, expansive vintage that’s full of pleasure and good aging potential.
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2015 vintage of this classic Margaret River Cab is a bit more approachable in its youth than previous vintages. Characters of cassis, black cherries, blueberries, baking spice, graphite, and tobacco leaf flow to a palate that is big but restrained. Fine chalky tannins wind tightly around silky plush primary fruit and the oak rears its head on the finish. Ideally, this will benefit from another few years in bottle and should age nicely until 2039.
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Wine & Spirits
This is the first vintage made by Coralie Lewis at Cape Mentelle—she studied in Bordeaux and worked at Pierro before joining the winery in 2015. The blend includes 85 percent cabernet sauvignon and nine percent merlot, with small amounts of petit verdot and shiraz. It feels harmonious, a quietly refreshing cabernet with cool, elegant spice in its tannins, gentle spice that continues long after each sip. The violet notes of black fruit, the vanilla hints of oak and the stemminess of the tannins will all benefit from bottle age, as the wine has not yet begun to develop.
Other Vintages
2014-
James
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
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James
Suckling
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Wine &
Spirits
Cape Mentelle Vineyards is a specialist producer of premium wines in Margaret River in the southwest corner of Western Australia. One of the country's finest wine regions, Margaret River enjoys a maritime location, with the added advantage of a long, dry growing season.
Cape Mentelle was one of the first vineyards established in the Margaret River region. First planted in 1970, there are today over 180 hectares under vine and the winery, constructed in 1977, crushes about 1,500 tons of fruit from estate vineyards and contract grown fruit sourced from within the region. Primary plantings are of Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with smaller amounts of Shiraz, Zinfandel, Merlot and Chardonnay.
The winery and original vineyard lie between the town of Margaret River and the Cape from which it takes its name. The original Mentelles were Frenchmen, geographer Edmunde and his cartographer brother Francois-Simon, who lived in Paris in the early 1700s.
Cape Mentelle Vineyards is committed to the concept of true regional styles and will continue to expand its operations to produce quality wines. The company believes that the role of specialist wineries lies in the production of premium wines from varieties best suited to specific regions. Emphasis is placed on individual fruit character and the development of a recognizable estate wine style.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.