I could almost phone in the review for this St Hugo 2015 duo. Oaky reds with warm alcohol, no shortage of (added) acidity and plenty of tannins.
Job done, let’s go to the pub (and drink IPA).
But what I want to know is whether you covet wines like this duo. The Cab will improve for decades, but I wonder whether the minty, old-school Coonawarra Cab lines are really attractive in a ‘medium-bodied is the way forward’ modern world.
So would you buy ’em?
St Hugo Barossa Shiraz 2015
You know exactly what you’re going to get here – archetypal old school Barossa Shiraz. Vanilla bean paste oak that carries the whole way through the palate. It’s not unbalanced, but the impact of the oak is more 1998 than 2018, though French oak vanilla rather than American oak coconut coffee. Texturally the palate just a little warm but the concentration is undeniable – it’s very rich, alcoholic and no shortage of anything, though not necessarily well balanced. It’s quality traditional Barossa Shiraz, but I do wonder whether tastes has moved on from this firm, oaky, slightly tart style.
Best drinking: Wait 3 years, then it will live for twenty. 17.5/20, 91/100. 14.5%, $54.99. Would I buy it? A glass.
St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Coonawarra Cabernet aplenty. Gives a proper regional stamp with dried leaves and a little tobacco. The palate shape is very classic Coonawarra, complete with mint edged firm dry tannins, and an utterly substantial feel – it’s thick and yet shaped by those minty tannins. In Coonawarra – and St Hugo – terms, this is bang on. Perhaps a tad too old school with the rawness of the tannins and alcohol warmth, but this is what it is – a wine for drinking in a decades time.
Best drinking: Wait. 17.7/20, 92/100. 14.5%, $54.99. Would I buy it? I’d like a bottle to open in a decade.
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I’m a new-ish wine collector – have only been serious for the last 6 or so years and this is a world away from what I normally buy. I sometimes get exposed to older versions of these wines with friends and it makes me wonder why and how these styles became so popular back in the day. They just aren’t that enjoyable to drink. Give me a Mayford Shiraz any day 😉
Its a very interesting question you pose. For me you touch on it in the review of the Shiraz – balance. A wine without balance whether lighter in style or heavier is never going to be good. But I enjoy each style at different times depending on my food, company or mood of the day.
At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.
Almost twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.
3 Comments
I’m a new-ish wine collector – have only been serious for the last 6 or so years and this is a world away from what I normally buy. I sometimes get exposed to older versions of these wines with friends and it makes me wonder why and how these styles became so popular back in the day. They just aren’t that enjoyable to drink. Give me a Mayford Shiraz any day 😉
Me too.
Its a very interesting question you pose. For me you touch on it in the review of the Shiraz – balance. A wine without balance whether lighter in style or heavier is never going to be good. But I enjoy each style at different times depending on my food, company or mood of the day.