Yalumba The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon, Menzies Estate Vineyard, Coonawarra, Australia, 2018   

100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 16 months in oak. 

A perfumed wine, displaying spice notes, lavender and violets, with fruit aromatics of warm strawberries, blackberries, and the quintessential note of sea-spray that the region is known for. Peppery, fresh and alive with youthful tannins, the moderate to long palate has intense red-purple cassis fruit. 

The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon is named after the unique cigar-shaped strip of rich terra rossa soil that defines the famous Coonawarra wine region. 

"Dense, deep ruby-black, lighter on the rim. The nose is full, rich, and broody with nuances of boysenberries, cassis, ripe plums entwined with cardamom, cloves, vanilla, unfolding leather and cigar. Full-bodied, the wine is mouth-filling, succulent aromas cassis, boysenberries, black plums enriched by an amalgam of barrel spices, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, draws a long line with integrated acidity, linger with cocoa, leather and cigar box nuances. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, with ripe, fine-grained tannin, filling the palate with a soft yet firm grip. Succulent fruit supported by lively, integrated acidity carries flavour richness to a long, sustained finish. This classic, complex Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon shows vibrant and dense black fruit and bright acidity with a fine tannin structure with cellar-worthy quality. Match with charred t-bone steak with porcini sauce over the next 10 years. Fermented to 14% alc, aged 19 months in new French oak barriques and hogsheads (20%), one-year-old French oak barriques and hogsheads (10%), balance in older French oak. Vegan friendly."

18.5+/20 points, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, September 2021.