Tarrawatta Cabernet Sauvignon Eden Valley 2018

Juicy and bright Cabernet berry fruit with a ripeness and dusty quality that’s almost Rutherford-esque. Tight, quite floral and with notes of liquorice with a firm and grainy tannin profile that echoes the aromatic qualities. There’s an aspect of headiness on the palate but the 14.9% alcohol is well held and it has a fundamentally savoury character with no excess sweetness. There’s no lack of intensity but it’s also pretty linear at this stage. There are notes of bitter chocolate, and a cocoa powder quality to the tannins, and it finishes with that crucial note of bitterness and salinity. Impressively, the oak feels entirely subsumed here.