Grape Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Growing Region: Limestone Coast region, Australia

Chief Winemaker: Steve Webber

TASTING NOTE:
Deen De Bortoli created his Vat Series with the idea of developing a range of delicious, full-flavoured wines that over delivered for the price. Deen personally selected the blends and chalked the numbers on the vats to identify them - hence the name.

The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit for this wine was selected by the winemaking team and picked when both flavour and Baume levels were at their optimum. The fruit was cold soaked and fermented at 25C - 32C for an average of 7 days. The wine also underwent malolactic fermentation, and then matured in French and American oak barriques for 12 months.

The glass is filled with a deep purple with crimson hues. The nose has fragrant cassis, ripe plum with hints of mint and subtle cedar oak aromas. On the palate you find rich black fruits and sweet plum with fine grain tannins and well integrated oak makes this a soft generous wine with a good finish. Decant for 15mins. Serve at 18C.

CELLARING POTENTIAL:
Drinking perfectly well this season and over the next 3-4 years.

SUGGESTED FOOD MATCHES:
Perfect wine match with duck or rabbit, rich pasta dishes and hard cheeses, enjoy.

91 pts - Nick Stock & Tyson Stelzer - Wine 100, July 2010.