D'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

International Wine Cellar rating: 92

November 2008

Rating: 92/100 - As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 133, July/August 2007 ($65) Inky ruby. Explosive bouquet suggests redcurrant, cherry, licorice, black tea, rose and cracked pepper: very cabernet. Lush and almost sweet, with powerful red berry and cherry flavors and exotic smoked meat and incense notes. Gains flesh on the long, juicy finish, which displays outstanding clarity and persistence. Pretty compelling stuff.

document.getElementById("NoProductImage").innerHTML = ""; d'Arenberg d'Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. In 1912 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 read more...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

Since 1912 four generations of the Osborn family have tended their nineteenth century vineyards justnorth of the township of McLaren Vale, bordered by Seaview Road, Chalk Hill Road and Twenty-eightRoad. But on their western side, the winery's best Cabernet Sauvignon runs parallel to the one roadwith four separately named parts, Field Street, Oliver Road at each end and Coppermine Road.Naturally confused, locals just refer to it as Brewery Hill Road. Vintage 2005 could be summarized as a vintage that ripened without interruptions. The resultingwines are tight with amazing red fruit read more...fragrance and lovely acidity. Crops yields were above averagealthough slightly under the 2004 vintage. The 2005 Coppermine Road, one of d'Arenberg's flagship icon reds, is a complex and full bodiedwine dominated by red fruits, blueberry, cranberry, cedary cinnamon spice and earth. Vibrantaromas of cassis, blackcurrant, and plum harmonize with the well structured palate. With bottleage, this wine will gain more complex characters of chocolate, truffle, cigar box and earth butmaintain its seamless rolling finish.    (hide)

The Wine Advocate rating: 93

Wine Advocate ReviewRated 93The 2005 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon is purple/black in color. It offers aromas of pain grille, pencil lead, licorice, black currant, and blackberry liqueur. This leads to a flamboyant Cabernet with gobs of ripe fruit and notes of chocolate emerging. The wine has well-concealed tannins, excellent balance, and a 60-second finish. It will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring and will drink well through 2025.

January 2009