BENBOURNIE’S NEAR-100 PER CENT SCORE CARD

Wc26May08

YOUR FREE WEEKLY WINE COLUMN for May 26 2008


wine with david ellis


IT's ultra-premium, it's ultra-priced and you can bet it will be in ultra-demand – not just because this is a sensationally soft and subtle wine with an-almost 100 per cent score-card for everything that's great about Cabernet Sauvignon, but because over 60% has already been grabbed for the overseas market.

It's the Jim Barry 2002 The Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon, a mature and refined spectacular from one of the greatest vintages in the Clare Valley; that soft and subtle palate has beautifully vibrant fresh fruit flavours and enduring tannins, while on pouring the glass comes alive with a bouquet of cedar, menthol, blackcurrant, cigar box and roasted capsicum.

If you're going on the hunt for this wine for a very special celebration, expect to pay $85 – great value in fact as its one that will not only stand up with our top local Cabernet Sauvignon's, but match it with the best international labels.

(Colleagues recently shared a bottle at a special-event dinner at Bel Parco Restaurant in Sydney's Bicentennial Park; they matched it with roasted fillet of beef, truffle-infused potato puree, wild mushrooms and Cabernet Sauvignon jus. And the verdict? Perfect-o.)

ONE FOR LUNCH:  A great idea next time you're in party mood is Beelgara's 3-litre sq3 Wine Cube Rosé 2007, as this is a quality wine in a box and very competitively priced at just $20 - with 3-litres equaling four bottles, it's the equivalent of just $5 a bottle. Served chilled, this wine from the NSW Riverina has nice sweetish raspberry fruit flavours to the fore and a soft mouthfeel. And ideal for the party room or as a barbecue-starter, as it's easy to serve and goes nicely with dips, pâtés and cheese platters.

BUY OF THE WEEK: TIM Adams' 2006 The Fergus is one of those wines that takes blending to almost new lengths: this one from the quite excellent 2006 vintage in the Clare Valley combines Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo. Pay $25 and enjoy its full-on flavours and aromatics with duck, turkey, lamb or game dishes.

(Need a drink? We're archived on http://vintnews.com)

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PHOTO CAPTIONS:

UP there with the best international Cabernet Sauvignons.

PARTY time: this Rosé in a cube is great value at the equivalent of $5 a bottle