Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2003

This wine is a blend of two classic Bordeaux varieties – cabernet sauvignon (77 per cent) and merlot (23 per cent) – and combines the best attributes of fruit from the Eden and Barossa valleys.

It is a full-flavoured wine with strong blackcurrant-plum and vanillin wood aromas.

The fruit was mainly from the cooler Eden Valley, which gives the wine fruit lift, with the Barossa Valley component providing mouthfeel and structure.

The wine is dark red with purple hues. The aroma is of intense currant and blackberry. The palate shows dark fruit flavours with firm tannins, giving persistence and length.

The component wines were matured for 14 months in French and American oak barriques (220 litres). About 40 per cent of the oak was new, and the proportion of French to American oak was about 80:20.

The 2003 vintage followed a long, cool ripening period which allowed the grapes to ripen fully and build great varietal flavour. The cabernet for this wine was picked on 30 April and the merlot on 1 May, with the cabernet reading 13.9 baume and the merlot 14.2.

This is another Eden Springs wine that has the potential to benefit from careful cellaring – in this case, for six to eight years.

	Here are some details from the back label

Grapes from the Eden Valley region provided 89 per cent of this blend, with the remainder from the Barossa Valley. The strong tannin structure of the cabernet gives complexity and length, while the merlot adds a lovely rounded finish. Only 165 cases were produced.

Winemaker: Andrew Ewart
14.5% Alc/vol
Recommended retail price: $19.90.

Good grapes    Good wine    Goodwill