Yalumba The Steeple Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
The nose is immersed in blueberries and plums leading into very inviting red spices, cranberries and pomegranate. Medium to full-bodied, it is generous with plump fruits and dark cherries. Textural, intriguing and velvety smooth.
Review:
This reminds us of the classic Australian reds of the 1950s and 1960s. Very deep and rich, yet so vibrant and youthful, this has fresh-herb and savory complexity alongside the black-fruit aromas. Great muscular tannins on the powerful palate give it wonderful vitality and clarity. Just a touch of eucalyptus. Very long finish with a wonderfully velvety texture. From vines planted in 1919. Excellent aging potential.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Freemark Abbey 'Sycamore' Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.
Located on the southern end of the Rutherford Bench, Sycamore Vineyard’s proximity to the Mayacamas Mountains provides the perfect climate for growing a rich, textured Cabernet. The wine is intense in aromatic complexity, reminiscent of blackberry, pomegranate syrup, black tea, and forest floor. The palate is rich and textured with flavors of forest fruits, dark chocolate, bay leaf, and warm oak spices. The ‘Rutherford dust’ is evident in the tannin structure, giving it textures that are bold but integrated, making it lovely to drink now with the capability to age in the cellar for decades.
Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor. The color is very dark early in the fermentation, with flavors of black currant and black berry with a forest floor complexity.
Review:
Even better, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard is jaw-dropping stuff and does everything right. More structured and tannic compared to the Bosche, it has loads of red and black fruits as well as sandalwood, camphor, bay leaf, and bouquet garni-like aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, deep, layered, and concentrated, yet still with this wonderful sense of elegance, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 20-25 years as well.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points