What we've been drinking

Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
A previous winner of the Stoddart trophy (best 1 yr old red at the Brisbane wine show) and always an entertaining drink, this is quite classic Coonawarra Cabernet, if drying out a little now. Cedar, blackcurrant and blackberries on the very Cabernetish nose, the palate is a touch angular with very dry tannins and an element of toughness. It probably needs a few more years in the bottle to settle down or some red meat to control the tannins.

Benfield & Delamere Red Blend 2005
One of the few Cabernet blends to come out of Martinborough, this is one outstanding leafy red - a leafy, dusty blackberry & spice nose with some herbaceousness to remind how cool a climate this comes from. The palate is light to medium bodied dry and refreshing, with natural acidity making for a very taut and long palate. The beauty here is the pristine, leafy blackberry fruit characters that make for a beautifully elegant dry red. Very much modelled on Bordeaux, this is excellent stuff (and impossible to find in Australia).