2017 Cape Mentelle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Australia
Critics reviews
A bit leaner and leafier than the 2016, Cape Mentelle's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon shows more of the region's characteristic herbal shadings of sage and bay leaf. The winery's trademark cedary oak overlays cassis and raspberry notes in this streamlined, smooth-textured, medium to full-bodied effort. The tannins are polished but firm, suggesting a couple of years in the cellar wouldn't be unwarranted.
Drink 2021 - 2032
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Jan 2020)
There’s a very plush and complex nose on offer here with a wealth of blueberries and cassis and a classically cedary and lightly spiced edge, too. The palate has an exceptionally fluid, long and assertive feel, as well as a plush and very fleshy palate that has a deceptively powerful, forthright finish. Best from 2023.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Dec 2019)
About this WINE
Cape Mentelle
Cape Mentelle was one of the pioneering Margaret River Estates in the 1970s and today is one of the most renowned.
Established by David Hohnen in the 1970 it now has over 80 hectares of well-sited prime vineyard sites which benefit from the cooling maritime influences as well as from the gravel based soils. Cape Mentelle also buy grapes in from half a dozen contracted growers.
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot are planted and an exemplary range of premium wines are produced. Its Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc is remarkably similar to Cloudy Bay's and both properties are now owned by Veuve Clicquot.
Margaret River
Located on the most south-westerly point of Australia, three hours’ drive south of Perth, the Margaret River region sprang to life during the 1960s and 1970s as a result of Professor Harold Olmo’s and Dr John Gladstone’s research into the region’s viticultural potential. Consequently Vasse Felix was planted in 1967, Moss Wood in 1970 and Cullen in 1971. Since then the plantings have grown exponentially, while the number of wineries has increased six-fold. This explosion of wineries has perhaps been to the detriment of the wine quality.
Bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean and the 90km Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin promontory, the region enjoys a benign if damp maritime climate in which the vines rarely shut down, causing disrupted flowering (exacerbated by strong, westerly sea winds). Over the growing season it’s 16 percent hotter than in Coonawarra and 7% than the Médoc.
The Cape ridge is made up of lateritic clay topsoils over weathered granite and gneiss, giving fruit with a relatively high pH. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most fancied variety,producing a lush, early drinking style, followed by Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sémillon.
Recommended Producers: Cullen, McHenry Hohnen Vintners, Moss Wood, Cape Mentelle and Voyager Estate.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
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Description
A bit leaner and leafier than the 2016, Cape Mentelle's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon shows more of the region's characteristic herbal shadings of sage and bay leaf. The winery's trademark cedary oak overlays cassis and raspberry notes in this streamlined, smooth-textured, medium to full-bodied effort. The tannins are polished but firm, suggesting a couple of years in the cellar wouldn't be unwarranted.
Drink 2021 - 2032
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Jan 2020)
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