Wynn's Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

A great idea of a bridal shower particularly for those bride and groom's that already have a home or a well accessorized apartment is a wine and cheese. When I did this for my sister's bridal shower, I requested that guests bring no gift, just a bottle of wine to contribute to a wine cellar for the to be newly weds and I served as you can guess wine and cheese to the guests. I was amazed at how many great wines she received and how fun it was to try these wines.

So when my bridal shower came around, my sister, knowing how much I enjoyed inviting myself over to try her wines, did the same for me. I received about 15-20 bottles of wine, some of which were recommended to drink immediately and others to age in a wine cellar anywhere from 1-5 years.

One particular wine which I stored for 1 year was the Wynn's Coonawarra Estate 2002. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra, Australia. This wine is known as 'Black Label.' Although I have recently discovered that this wine's should be properly stored in a cellar from 3-5 years, after 1 year it still had great flavor.

This wine has a very strong deep red colour. Aromas consist of blackcurrant & blackberry, it was very earthy with some vanilla. I found it to be full bodied with a nice dryness on the palate. Flavours consisted of blackcurrant, cherry and mocha flavours. I would recommend decanting this wine as it has a lot of sediments.

International Wine magazine notes that this wine "is richly flavored and finely structured with sweet fruit flavors and vanilla oak in the background. Deep red. Pungent, floral, spicy nose exudes strong aromas of blackberry, bitter cherry, beef jerky and musky underbrush. Sweet oak spice and floral pastilles accent intense redcurrant and cherry flavors, with suggestions of earthy tobacco and succulent herbs. Finishes with deeper, darker blackcurrant and plum flavors and well-managed, silky tannins."

Its a perfect match with steak, rack of lamb and bold tasting cheeses.