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Grape Observer

Grape Observer

A fine wine review focussing on wines from Australia and France (c)

  • Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010

    From Moss Wood’s Ribbon Vale vineyard, the 2010 vintage is a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and 7% cabernet franc. A deep ruby in colour, the wine has taken on some tertiary characters of earth and has savoury red and dark fruits. It is bottled under screwcap; the argument that screw capped reds […]

    Sean Mitchell

    April 14, 2022
    Wine Reviews
    Australia, Cabernet Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Merlot
  • Terre à Terre Crayères Cabernet Franc Shiraz 2018

    This wine is from Terre à Terre, a very good producer in Wrattonbully near Coonawarra in South Australia. It’s an unorthodox blend of cabernet franc (63%) and shiraz (37%). In the glass, there are brooding aromas of dark fruits and cedar, and lifted herbal characters with time. The palate is medium to full bodied, the […]

    Sean Mitchell

    December 3, 2021
    Wine Reviews
    Australia, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, South Australia, Wrattonbully
  • Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Wine Review

    Moss Wood is probably the most consistent producer of benchmark Australian cabernet sauvignon. It is aided by both climate and producer intent. The Margaret River climate is similar to warm to hot vintage Bordeaux, and its style sees generally higher contributions from later ripening cabernet sauvignon. The Moss Wood blend in 2009 is 88% cabernet […]

    Sean Mitchell

    October 31, 2021
    Wine Reviews
    Australia, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Petit Verdot, Western Australia
  • Bernard Baudry Les Granges Chinon 2020 Wine Review

    This wine review is of Bernard Baudry’s “Les Granges” cabernet franc from Chinon in the Loire Valley and the 2020 vintage. The wine has a purity of red fruits that I have not previously tasted in Baudry’s Les Granges Chinon. It opens to aromas of raspberries and red plums, spice and, consistent with cabernet franc, […]

    Sean Mitchell

    September 2, 2021
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Franc, Chinon, France, Loire Valley
  • Marc Brédif Chinon 2017 Wine Review

    This wine review is of Marc Brédif’s 2017 Chinon from the Loire Valley.  If you enjoy Loire Valley cabernet franc, you can contrast it to recent wine reviews here of a Saumur from the same 2017 vintage and a Saumur-Champigny from the warmer 2018 vintage. The Chinon style here is similar to the Saumur wine, […]

    Sean Mitchell

    December 15, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Franc, Chinon, France, Loire Valley
  • Arnaud Lambert Saumur 2017 Wine Review

    Arnaud Lambert Saumur 2017 Wine Review​

    Sean Mitchell

    December 5, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Franc, France, Loire Valley, Saumur
  • Thierry Germain Saumur Champigny 2018 Wine Review

    This wine review is of a high quality Saumur Champigny cabernet franc from Thierry Germain and the 2018 vintage.  Various expressions of cabernet franc are produced by Thierry and this is the “Domaine des Roches Neuves”.  The first thing to note is the deep purple colour of the wine in the glass, confirming the 2018 […]

    Sean Mitchell

    December 3, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Franc, France, Loire Valley, Saumur Champigny
  • Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard 2016

    I rather sensed that this producer and vineyard were headed towards producing a fine wine. This wine has seen considerable attention to detail and is outstanding. A blend of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 16% shiraz and 16% cabernet franc, it is from the Crayères vineyard in the Wrattonbully region on the South Australian/Victorian border. In terms […]

    Sean Mitchell

    September 10, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Australia, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, South Australia, Wrattonbully
  • Sauvion Les Roches Cachées Chinon 2016

    This wine is textbook Chinon from the Loire Valley.  It has aromas of crisp red raspberries and strawberry, a medium body and a dry, high acid finish with a twist of tobacco.  A fresh and enjoyable style that is ready to drink now.  Rating: Good.  Price: $29. Abv: 12.5. Website: https://fr.sauvion.com/. Reviewed: May 2020.

    Sean Mitchell

    June 5, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Franc, Chinon, France, Loire Valley
  • Covert Farms Family Estate The Bluff 2016

    This is an excellent wine from Covert Farms in the Okanagan Valley in Canada. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot and from the 2016 vintage, its style is reminiscent of a left bank cru bourgeois Bordeaux from a ripe vintage. In the glass, there are earthy, blackcurrant aromatics. The palate has […]

    Sean Mitchell

    January 21, 2020
    Wine Reviews
    Cabernet Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canada, Okanagan Valley, Petit Verdot

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