I cracked my first 2015 Twins Cabernet tonight. This was a challenging wine to write a tasting note for. There is so much going on that narrating that experience in a set of liner notes is not quite fair to the wine. Here is my best effort:
This is a straight cabernet, rather than the traditional Twins blend, but it is not left wanting. It is immediately more vibrant, intense and multi-faceted than the blend. Again the quality of the 2015 fruit is undeniable, this is as pure an expression of place as you could wish for. However, unlike the blend, this is less of a drink-now proposition.
There is the obligatory black currant fruit, with a hint of blackberry and light minty overtones rounding out the front-palate. But the real action is in the mid-palate, which is currently a little “large”, and unfortunately slightly unbalanced at this young age. The flavours are dark, occasionally bordering on the sour. I’m getting baking soda/spice, clay dust, pencil lead, dark chocolate and liquorice. Plus a whole lot more that I can’t quite identify. The tannins are ultra-fine but still a little drying. The finish is long and slightly smokey. Wow!
This is very probably the most complex $11 wine I’ve ever tasted. This is the blend with the volume dialled up to 11. It’s a very nice wine and in 5-10 years maybe great. A 94 on CT from me.
