2018 Coriole Cabernet Sauvignon

Long considered one of the leading producers of McLaren Vale, Coriole was founded by the Lloyd family in 1967 who pioneered the planting of many Italian and French varieties. Long before it was fashionable Mark Lloyd developed vineyards of Sangiovese, Picpoul, Chenin Blanc and Nero d’Avola. Coriole’s Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from estate vineyards that are approximately 30-40 years old. Soils are terra rossa – red, brown earth over limestone, which have proven to be ideal for growing cabernet in McLaren Vale. 2018 was an exceptional vintage delivering reds that are concentrated, structured and complex.

A classic McLaren Vale Cabernet, generously fruited yet also refined.

Matured in French oak for 18 months. Dense inky black colour with a deep dark red black hue. Intense blackcurrant top notes are trailed by liquorice, dried herbs, cedary tobacco characters and subtle spicy black olives. Medium to full in body the palate is engulfed with rich blackcurrant and liquorice fruits. Infusions of dried herbs, vanillin cedar, delicate black olive and spicy tobacco characters flow through onto the back half. Beautifully integrated fine grained tannins provide a sturdy structure. Generous yet also refined finishing long and pure.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
I like cabernet from the Vale. I really do. Despite the inherent generosity and warmth, there remains a transparent connection to varietal personality that too often, warmer regions and their morass of flavour, tend to obfuscate. This exudes cassis, dried sage, spearmint and bitter chocolate notes, rounded up by a plume of savoury tannins, pliant and moreish. Drink by 2032.
94 points
Ned Goodwin – James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion