Cape Landing Blackwood Syrah 2020
- 92
- $60
- Drink by: 2023-2026
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The team use a mix of equal quantities whole bunch and destemmed berries. There follows ten months maturation in French oak puncheons (30% new), on lees, with fortnightly batonnage. Dark maroon, this wine offers notes of cigar boxes, mushrooms, blackfruits, mulberries, tobacco leaves and warm earth with a pleasing sour cherry note on the finish. At this stage, a burly, concentrated style, though anticipate this to soften over time, with firm but fine tannins, good acidity and excellent length. A savoury style, this is still youthful, and it is hard to imagine that this won’t be even better in two to three years and then drink beautifully for a decade.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
