Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Recommendation: Not recommended.

Winery/Producer: Springfield Estate; South Africa.

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon.

Geographic Region, Appellation: South Africa.

Vintage: 2012

Price: $54.63

Purchased From: The Britannia Restaurant, on board the Queen Mary 2.

Paired With: Roast leg of lamb with creamed savoy cabbage, roast pumpkin, lyonnaise potato and rosemary sauce.

Tasting:

    He said: Opened two hours before drinking. Clear, dark purple with a very light rim. Slight blackberry aroma. Rather tannic taste that ends with a dry, dusty medium-long finish that has a slightly bitter ending. What seemed to be a light body at first improved as we drank it, but the finish got more bitter with each pour and a metallic taste was more prevalent with each sip. In a word….DISAPPOINTING!!!

    She said: I don’t know where to start with this wine because it does not have much to recommend. With little aroma and little taste it flows over the palate with a light body (for a Cab). The dryness is pleasing, the tannins soft and the long finish sometimes metallic and bitter but other times with hints of oak. The label described it as velvety but I would say harsh is a better word to describe it. Paired with the lamb the wine proved to be a good accompaniment. The lamb smothered the harshness and brought out the hints of oak, both to good advantage.

    Comments:

Alcohol: 13%

Bar code: 6 007380 000181

Imported by: Bibendum Wine; London, United Kingdom.