2020 Nicks Secret SERP Cabernet Sauvignon

From a very well-known family owned estate with an Italian-Australian heritage, this McLaren Vale winery burst onto the scene in the early 2000’s when the then, world's most powerful wine critic, Robert Parker, lauded many of the wines with scores in the high nineties.
This, their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, is made in the traditional Amarone style whereby the grapes are dried to concentrate the aromas and flavours, as well as soften the tannins. This will be one of the last vintages that you’ll be able to get your hands on with the winery deciding to no longer make this wine due to the high production costs.

Thick and densely textured, this is a decadently rich, explosive Amarone styled Cabernet that will blow your socks off.

Incredibly dense pitch black heart with a deep very dark red black tinged hue. Potent ripe blackcurrant, Morello cherry, black plum and chocolate bullet aromas engulf the nostrils with vanillin oak, black cherry, earth and spicy cinnamon notes ensuing. Thick and densely textured, the palate boasts explosive power and off the chart’s richness. A super concentrate of ripe black currant, morello cherry, black plum, liquorice and black cherry fruits saturates every corner of the mouth complimented by notions of spicy vanillin oak, earthy tobacco, black olive and dried herbs. Ripe chewy tannins provide ample structure. Finishes long and decadent.
Drink over the next 5-6 years.
Alc. 15.5%

Other Reviews….
Stylish and refined, the wine shows dark plum, sweet cherry, fine leather, olive and cedar characters on the nose, followed by a weighty palate that's plump and richly textured. Tannins are chalky and beautifully infused, offering firm structure with wonderful harmony and balance. At its best: now to 2038.
96 Points
Sam Kim – Wine Orbit

An absolutely cracking McLaren Vale Cab. Who says warm regions can’t do Cabernet? Sure, it might not be a Bordeaux replica, but it is delicious and drinks majestically. The name? Just like Frank ** did in attempting to expose corruption in the NYPD in the early 70s, this wine goes against the grain, as an Apassimento style Cabernet. For that, the fruit went into 10-kilo drying crates and was stored for 25 days, over this period, the grapes lost 30% of their weight. This had the effect of concentrating aromas and softening the tannins with the wine spending two years in a combination of French oak hogsheads, 60% new and 40% one-year-old. The 2020 *** Cabernet Sauvignon was made without finings and received only light filtration prior to bottling. Deep red/maroon, this has an appealing ripeness with notes of chocolate, cigar boxes, mocha, coffee beans and a hint of vanilla. The structure is seamless with juicy acidity and excellent length. Utterly delicious, this is more a cracking McLaren Vale red than the typically varietal Cabernet. Ten to twelve years. Drink 2024-2036.
95 Points
Ken Gargett – WinePilot.com