Fox Creek McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
- 93
- $23
- Drink by: 2023-2033
Share
Now we are looking at Fox Creek’s bread and butter. Along with their terrific Shiraz wines, first class Cabernet is what many of us associate with this McLaren Vale winery. From a superb vintage for the region, the batches of fruit were each open fermented for around a week on skins with occasional pumpovers. Pressing was to a mix of tank and old oak barrels for a year’s maturation. This is brilliant value. An inky, dark purple. The nose suggests a wine of intensity, power and concentration. We have aromas of chocolate, tobacco leaves, blackfruits and a hint of campfire notes. Very good integration of that light touch of oak, while the palate sees the emergence of mocha and coffee grinds. Seamless and well-constructed, there is good length here and fine balance plus very fine tannins. This will drink well over the next decade, not bad for a wine at this price. Indeed, in ten years, if you have a case of this in the cellar, it will look like the steal of the year!
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.
