2003 Clarendon Hills Sandown Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The Sandown Cabernet is a spectacular wine that like the Brookman and Hickinbotham Cabernet has monumental structure. The vines are now approaching 75 years of age with crop levels down to 2 1/2 tonnes per acre.
Totally black purple colour with black purple hue. The nose is even more pronounced than the Brookman with notes of blackcurrant, violets, spice, cedar and anise emerging. The oak regime has changed this year, to 2/3 new French, Allier and Nevers oak and 1/3 old French oak. The palate structure is quite formidable with finer, firmer and drier tannins yet perfectly balanced. The fruit flavours are richer and riper with blackcurrant, plum, spice and cedar flavour profile. The wine is a powerhouse of Cabernet flavours and will take decades to show its ultimate potential. This is Cabernet on the exotic side, with nuances of lead pencil shavings appearing over layers of black pepper.
A wine that will cellar for 30-40 years (2034-2044)
Alc/Vol: 14.5%