Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2009 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon offers pronounced notes of warm cassis, eucalypt and dark chocolate with touches of cedar and toast. Generously fruity and medium bodied on the palate, it has lively acidity and a medium to firm level of grainy tannins, finishing long. Approachable now, it should drink best 2013 to 2023+. The d’Arenberg winery is 100 years old with a fourth generation Osbourne in charge today of this now considerable operation. Graduated from Roseworthy College in 1983, Chester was expected by his father to change things when he took over the family business. Instead he went back to tradition rather than modernizing. In the d’Arenberg vineyards there is no cultivating, fertilizing or herbicides used – Chester compares these artificial means to growing plants hydroponically. Looking to continually improve the root systems of his vines, he rarely irrigates. Average yields are 1.7 tons per acre. “2011 was actually a great year for us,” Chester informed me. “We didn’t have any problems with rot.” Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA, www.oldbridgecellars.com

Firm in texture, with peppery tannins around a supple core of blackberry and delicate herb flavors, persisting on the finish. Best from 2015 through 2018. 400 cases imported.??–HS??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add