Oliver’s Taranga Vine Dried Cabernet 2021

Winemaker, Corrina Wright, is getting her Italian winemaking skills on to produce an Amarone-method style of Cabernet in the Vale. She has borrowed from Amarone della Valpolicella where grapes are picked, dried for an extended period until they have lost a lot of liquid and then slowly pressed and fermented. Corrina has embraced similar methods and produced one wild vinous ride: 15.5% in alcohol, super rich, dark and savoury. Earth, leather, dark spices, truffle and mushroom fill the senses on the first sniff. This is Cabernet as you rarely taste it. Flavours of fruitcake with slivers of sweet cherry nougat before the grape’s herbals and ripe tannins come into play. The finish arrives in a flurry of chocolatey, woodsy spice. You might say there’s a lot happening in this wine.