Sami
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 Sami
Cabernet Sauvignon
At the age of 6 weeks our daughter Samantha (“Sami”) was introduced to winemaking when Brenda and I dipped her feet into a bucket of fermenting Cabernet Sauvignon to make footprints on a sheet of paper for her grandparents in the US. This was of course her first taste of Barossa Cabernet.
Harvested from 8 short rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in 1978 on the St. Jakobi Block in Lyndoch. When the quality is really special, we’ll release a small quantity of this single varietal “Sami Cabernet”. It’s been a few years between drinks, with the last Sami Cabernet being the 2015 release. The 2018 vintage gave us the special conditions we look for in Cabernet and we’re able to produce another.
The 2018 Sami Cabernet Sauvignon shows wonderfully flavoursome varietal characters of blueberry and blackcurrant backed up with hints of spicy oak resulting from ageing in new and one-year old French hogsheads for 18 months. The oak is subtle enough to compliment and marry into the wine’s sweet fruit rather than dominate it and helps to provide the structure, allowing the wine to mature and create more complexity with bottle age.
We trust you’ll enjoy it!
| Winemaker: | Wayne Dutschke |
| Vineyard: | Ken & Helen Semmler’s “1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Block” on the St. Jakobi Vineyard |
| Region: | Lyndoch, Barossa Valley, South Australia |
| Harvest date: | 7th of February 2018 |
| Alcohol: | 14.5% |
| Oak maturation: | 18 months new & one year old French hogsheads |
| Bottling date: | October 2019 |
| Cellaring potential: | Drink now, or as a more complex wine for many years to come |
Reviews
93 points, James Halliday Wine Companion 2021
92 points, Tyson Stelzer Barossa Mag Spring 2020
Acidity is the oft-overlooked ingredient that marks out the Barossa’s best reds, and Wayne Dutschke is a master in wielding it with unashamed confidence. Even in the generosity of 2018, he captures Cabernet of varietal precision, crunch and integrity. Red- and blackcurrants are energised by fine, masterfully poised tannins and great acid drive, promising great things in the cellar.
