Yalumba Menzies The Cigar 2009

The following two posts are of two wines that I am excited to try. Both wines are in the $25 range which means that they are potentially good wines to enjoy on a regular basis. Today I am reviewing Yalumba's The Cigar from Yalumba's Menzies vineyard. Yalumba named the wine The cigar after the shape of the terra rossa soil in the Coonawarra region where the vineyard is located. Menzies is one of their premiere vineyards, so I am excited to give this one a try.
The wine is a cab sav, which is a nice change from all the shiraz I have been sampling recently. I have had less experience in tasting cab sav wines so this will further my experience with this type of grape. Lets take a look at what Yalumba is offering with this wine:

The very first thing I noticed with this wine was the very light tannins. Virtually no grippy tannins to be noticed. The wine is a bit heavy in texture. It would be excellent with some seafood, or chicken. It seemed very well oaked, something that is not quite as noticeable with shiraz, at least in terms of what I have tried. Very bold flavor. It is certainly worth a taste and it is a very good value for what you are getting. The coonawarra produces excellent wines and this is no exception. It is a very well done cab sav. I would be interested in camparing it with the iconic Bin 707 from Penfolds and compare. perhaps one day...
NExt up wil be a shiraz from Wynns Coonawarra Estate. It is their entry level shiraz, similar to this wine from Yalumba. I am hoping that it will be as recommendable as this wine is for anyone looking for a great wine at a decent price, from an excellent region in SA.

Henschke Mount Edelstone 2004

My family came up to Vancouver this weekend to visit Jenn and I. I decided to take my dad to Everything Wine in North Vancouver and needless to say he was impressed with the selection. While buying wine in Canada is more expensive, I have found that the more expensive bottles don't vary in price as much as cheaper bottles. My dad went to the vintage room and found a bottle of Henschke Mount Edelstone shiraz. This particular red was one of his favorites when we were living in Australia. The bottle cost $160. $40 a glass. WOW. I knew we were in for a treat.

First, some background on Henschke and its wines. This red is from Eden Valley which is around the area where Mclaren Vale is located. The vineyard, which this wine is specifically picked from, was planted in 1912. This is the same location Hill of Grace, possibly Australia's most expensive and exclusive reds is produced. 

Wine Description

Deep red with violet hues. Rich aromas of spicy plums, blackberries, anise and sage oil with hints of tar, pepper and cedar. The intensely fruited palate is concentrated, rich and lush with excellent balance, velvety tannins and a long finish.

Overall I found Mount Edelstone to be quite nice. It needed about 45+ minutes out of the bottle to allow its flavor to come out. I was pleasantly surprised at the sugar content of this wine. I found it a bit sweet which was a nice change to the more tart shiraz I have sampled. Tannins were very light, and the wine was very well balanced. 

This is an empty bottle I intend to keep, so far it is the most expensive wine I have ever tried. It was a very expensive treat at $160, so I cant say I would recommend it for anyone who doesn't take red wine seriously. If you are someone who appreciates reds, then I would recommend you take this one and savor it. It is not a casual bottle to buy on your way to the grocery store. 

Eat it with meat and potatoes, its a shiraz.