D'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Mclaren Vale The Coppermine Road 2003

Rating: 94/100 - As reviewed by The Wine Advocate

Very good, with juicy blackberry, blueberry and plum laced with smoke, mocha, vanilla, tobacco and earth. Nicely integrated oak supports the full bodied flavors. Long, generous finish. Tempting now and over the next ten-plus years.

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; Robert Parker 94 points!"The spicy 2003 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in equal parts new French and new American oak) reveals copious quantities of black currants- cedar- vanilla- and white chocolate aromas- followed by spicy- tannic- full-bodied- powerful- dense- well-structured flavors. It should drink well for 10-15+ years."Robert Parker- Wine Advocate #161 (Oct 2005).d'Arenberg d'Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. In 1912 read more...Joseph Osborn- a teetotaler and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons- purchased the well established Milton Vineyards in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue- now just known as McLaren Vale. d'Arenberg's wines of the 1960's gained immediate cult status amongst imbibers and judges. One Cabernet Sauvignon won a Jimmy Watson Trophy at the 1969 Royal Melbourne Wine Show and another Grenache - based wine was awarded 7 trophies and 29 gold medals from Australian capital city wine shows. It is understandable that by the 1970's d'Arenberg Wines had become very fashionable and had gained significant national and international profiles in less than 20 years. d'ArenbergCoppermine RoadThis is another one of d'Arenberg's wines named after the road which runs down by the side of that particular vineyard. We source from this vineyard a good proportion of our best Cabernet- which goes into this classic McLaren Vale red. Over the past 50 years- d'Arenberg has released its High Trellis Cabernet to consistent acclaim. In the 1990's we vinified a separately a parcel of Cabernet from the best fruit from the Coppermine Road vineyard and the rest of the Osborn vineyards. The best parcels of wine that make up the Coppermine Road Cabernet mostly come from a rare and nearly extinct extremely low-yielding clone which is characterized by its violet and anise perfume- concentration and great acidity. The Coppermine Road is vinified- as are all d'Arenberg reds- through the gentle Demoisy crusher- then headed down open fermentation- followed by basket pressing by the Coq' and Bromley and Tregoning' 19th century presses into predominantly new and first use French oak barriques for 22 months maturation before blending and bottling at d'Arenberg. We use the age-old process of foot -treading- which means the cap of skins on the fermenting juice are broken down by (wader-clad) feet to ensure the maximum flavour and colour from the skins is extracted. The Coppermine Road Cabernet will most definitely benefit from a good stay in the bottle- and may very well throw a harmless deposit as fining and filtration have been kept to a minimum.    (hide)

October 2008

Rating: 83/100 - As reviewed by Wine Spectator on 01/01/05

Rating: 94/100 - As reviewed by James Halliday

Rating: 94/100 - As reviewed in Wine Advocate # 161 on Oct-05