Mitchell Sevenhill Cabernet 2013

From the Mitchell’s homestead vineyard, this is such an old-school claret style – and note the alcohol content at 13.5%. It exudes a fair amount of mint and bay leaf in its fragrant beginnings, while its fruit notes are a little restrained. The winemaking, with 40 days on skins and two years of barrel maturity have tightened this wine even further.

It’s medium weight, savoury and dry, and clearly built for the long haul, somewhat “Bordeaux-like” in style, and suits the dinner table admirably where elements of the wine flourish away from the more sterile tasting bench.