Monday, June 7, 2010

Nugan Estate 2001 The Edge King Valley Cabernet Merlot (Australia)

As many wines do, when I am not sure what to drink on any given night, the capsule of this wine caught my eye, the words "the edge" printed around it - I pulled the bottle out and looked it over ... 'that one looks okay to me' I thought and immediately started to read the back label.   The last line caught my eye: "Enjoy now or cellar for up to 5 years" - oops, I think the 5 years has long passed, but what the hell.  So I popped the cork on this 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot blend and wondered what I was going to open next, once this wine proved to be over the hill.  As luck would have it this wine was far from over the hill, it fact I think it is languishing somewhere on the top of the hill still basking in some of its glory.  The nose is somewhere between ripe and over ripe fruit with hints of sweet dried blackberries and blueberries.  What really makes this a lovely thing to sniff on is the dark chocolate that plays in and amongst all that fruit.  On the palate the fruit is there, the chocolate not so much, but the dried black fruits are delicious and the finish is long and supple, coating every nook and cranny of the mouth, you can lick some out from the creases in your mouth.  Just goes to show that wineries and winemakers are just guessing at longevity (then again, aren't we all?)

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