2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke
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Tasting notes
Deep, lurid ruby. A sexy, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, candied licorice, spicecake, cola and vanilla with a cedary oak aspect and a hint of pipe tobacco emerging slowly. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering intense, densely packed boysenberry, cassis, bitter chocolate and clove flavors that pick up a smoky accent on the back half. Blends power and finesse with a smooth hand and finishes impressively long and spicy with dusty tannins coming on steadily.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Vines planted on sandy loam over sandstone in 1989. Picked 31 March and 14 April. Aged for 18 months in French barriques (20% new). Vinolok closure Lustrous dark garnet – deeper colour than most of these top Australian 2015 Cabernets. This has great depth and something a bit grainier in texture than the other Australian 2015 Cabernets in this collection. It's also the wine I tasted blind in this year's Pol Roger Varsity Blind Tasting competition and took for a compelling right-bank bordeaux! Very smart stuff, well constituted for a long life. Some transparency – definitely not a syrup. (JR)
Syrupy cassis nose. Thick, smooth and indulgent palate with menthol, black cherry and dark chocolate. Lots of weight and extraction. Potent, treacly style that needs time to soften up. (RH)
Svelte and refined, the 2015 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon is wonderfully composed and complete. Hints of cedar, earth and tobacco appear on the nose alongside cassis and black cherries, while the medium to full-bodied palate is streamlined yet generous and richly textured, leading into a lingering, silky finish. Elegant and concentrated, it should drink well for over a decade.