Olympicwiz, a great pick up. I don't know whether you bought any Nightfall product before but I did a 6pack of the 2015 Nightfall Cabernets if that was its name. The wine was $80 down to $25 so looking at the value aspect, this one today comes in at the same sort of discount. We all get excited, probably more than our partners in the ' was, is, honey i scored a bargain' stakes, but I knew I did a good review of the Nightfall and I do remember looking at the $120 version, called leo The lion and thought if the same grapes were in that, then the normal one should be pretty good too. I mean, who hasnt thought that of the same vintage wine and how they work it all out. We have a pretty good idea I think , and in simplicity, the winemaker takes a sample from every barrel and says " i think some of these taste better than the others and I reckon i can charge more for them". Cynical, maybe and I do know there is more to it than that, but we all have been burnt before.
So i knew I had notes and i have found them. I wrote a lot about this wine at a home 'iso' dinner on Sunday1st Aug21 - time flies and i firstly mention that the 2015 cab had 15%. Big. So let me give you my main wording exactly as i wrote.
'It's a wine that I think Wining and Dining would like. It's big, heavy, brooding with predominat oak and dark berries taking over from a 'menage a trois' that I was expecting" - it has CS, CabFranc and merlot.
"I was expecting more fruit considering the price but i reckon all the coin has gone into the best franch barriques".
" 20 months in oak might sound like a marketing exercise but i found it too much"
"This wine looks like Claudia Schiffer but ends up Sandra Bullock".
"This one isn't going back as Sandra can have a makeover and look like Linda Evangelista"
"Look if I were female, the same analogy would be Brad Pitt, Gordon Ramsey and Daniel Craig"
I have to say how the hell did i come up with this garbage on a Sunday night two months ago I will never know.
" The wine is heavy at 15percent, it is extremely well made but next time I would have it after a full shiraz and after 8 hours of breathing"
Leo the Lion, different year, some good reviews about the 2016 Leo in the Sydney show which combines food and this.
THIS IS THE 2016 LEO AT THE SYNDNEY INTERNATIONAL
“Complex, black currant nose. Dark fruited and very pure. Attractive. Oak present and giving sweetness to nose and palate. Excellent with the duck. The freshness is amplified and the drive of the Cabernet works through the strength of flavours.”
Bree Boskov, First Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Peppermint and chocolate dipped blueberries with sweet vanillin oak spice on the nose. The palate is dry with rich liquored blue and purple fruits given lift and from licks of mint, mocha and cedar. Fresh acidity supports the rich fruit and taut tannins bring tension to a dry finish. The dish brings the bright peppermint and candied blueberries to the fore but also accentuates the cedary oak on the finish, not a bad pairing.”
Emma Jenkins, First Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Riper style of cabernet, with sweet cassis and cedar spice, a little simple but has some nice fruit concentration. Fairly drying tannins, makes it a touch disjointed. With the duck, it looked overtly sweet-fruited and simple plus the tannins still looked too extracted.”
Martin Williams, Fifth Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Deep plum colour. Vanilla, earth and leather aromas. Chocolate and leather on the palate. Firm tannin finish. With food: Leathery flavours don’t work well with this dish.”
Bryan Currie, Second Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Medium red, woodsmoke and blackberry nose, rich round fruit, sweet fruit, soft palate, oak tannin dominates the dish.”
Susan Bastian, Sixth Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Very deep ruby. Intense blackberry, cigar box, leather and charred nuts hints. Rich ripe dark fruits, vanilla and toasty wood. Lots of furry tannin. More fuller end in body. Lovely match with this dish. Nothing dominated.”
Mike de Garis, Third Term Panellist 2020 Competition
“Slightly dull. Cherry, savoury, blue and dk berry fruit lift, nutty oak. SOP, donut, has flavour with extracted and drying tannins. Food: given more concentration and persistence, tannins still prominent, but softer and longer.”
'Food for thought, wine for pleasure" ..that's mine.
www.vinomofo.com
