Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz 2009

Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz 2009 (Wrattonbully, SA)
13.8%, Cork, $55
Source: Sample
www.tapanappawines.com.au

For a little background context about this wine and the vineyard, best to start with my earlier note for the 2008.

If that’s too much work for so early in the year then I’ll sum up this red in two words – classy stuff.

Classy stuff, in quite classy packaging (contentious cork aside) too, the whole shebang suggesting quality wine.

What’s interesting here is simply how different this is to many Coonawarra reds, which is surely a good thing for a region that struggles due to its neighbour’s reputation.

There is peppermint, for starters, which obviously isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, yet its not obvious or intrusive – just part of the furniture. It’s a winey wine for that matter (rather than a ‘fruit’ wine), with cedary sexy oak, backed by less berry primary characters and more secondary notes, everything capped off with dry, powerful tannins.

A sophisticated, mid-weight Cabernet this is elegant, long, slightly minty, powerful and ultimate rather clever – a little cool and reserved perhaps, yet still quite easy to like.

Nice wine. Nice Wrattonbully wine.

Drink: 2014-2024+
Score: 18/20, 93/100
Would I buy it? A glass or too with a lamb rack should go ok.