Print this Wine         1996 Bannockburn Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot   GEELONG                 January Release   Bordeaux Blends       Always the forgotten wine in the Bannockburn collection, this wine is once again an overlooked gem. The climate at Bannockburn is quite cool, and some would say too cool to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon. But Bannockburn Vineyards has one climatic factor in its favour and that is lack of rainfall during the ripening period. This allows slow but consistent ripening late in the fall of the grapes. This is one of the best examples of this blend yet released by winemaker Gary Farr who has presided over every vintage at Bannockburn since 1979. It seems strange now but this wine was the first label to get the wine buffs excited, and not the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz that are now firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of Australian wines. This wine has always produced a quality product proudly displaying its cool climate origin. The color is still dark deep purple with blood red and just the slightest hint of orange at the rim. This indicates a low “pH” reading, which means higher acids and excellent color retention, auguring well for aging potential. Whilst the appearance says youth the bouquet says development. There are some earthy notes along with mellow slightly cooked fruit flavors. These flavors include mulberry and plums. The oak flavors are present, but they are subtle with a savoury vanilla overlay. All the flavors present on the bouquet are effortlessly blended together on the palate. A few years in the bottle has allowed integration of the fruit with the oak and also the flavor compounds that only develop with age. These flavors are sweet musky wood, earthiness and mushrooms. There is plenty going on with this wine. The flavors have blended together and the wine is relatively soft at the back of the palate. Tannin levels are low although there is abundant acid. The wine will continue to develop and drink well with a further 5 years, however I recommend that you enjoy the wine in the near future. Try the wine with roasted joints of red meat. Legs of succulent Lamb would be the first choice however Beef would provide an admirable substitute. Try and include some mushrooms in the dish, as this will bring out the developed characters in the wine           Shelf Talkers require Acrobat Reader 6.0 click here to download

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