Cape Mentelle Zinfandel 2018
- 92
- $65
- Drink by: 2023 - 2030
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Long a curiosity on the Aussie wine scene and a wine that must have appeared in a thousand options games, this is our most famous zin. Deep red, burly with chocolate and cherry notes with serious concentration here. Anyone more familiar with those froth and frivolous Zins from the States will be blown away – there are, of course, plenty of zinfandels from the US which are equally impressive or even more so, but none from downunder match the Cape Mentelle. It comes from the Wallcliffe Vineyard, planted by David Hohnen in 1974. At 15.5%, it is no shrinking violet, but then this wine has never been that with 9% shiraz blended in. 50% new oak which hails 50% from France, 25% American and 25% Hungarian.
It is perhaps a little more blocky than flowing on the palate with black fruits and liquorice. It is powerful and with good tannins plus plenty of oak, though all are well balanced. This is a really good zin and one of the best I’ve seen from Cape Mentelle.
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.
