Pirramimma Katunga McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

My first thought was why would someone name a McLaren Vale Cabernet after a Bond villain? Perhaps they were big 007 fans. Turns out that Katunga is the local term for low she-oak scrub, so not very MI6 at all. From a superb McLaren Vale vintage, the wine spent three years maturing in a variety of French oak. An opaque maroon, the nose exhibits chocolate, mocha, coffee grinds, truffles, bay leaves, cocoa powder and inevitably some of that oak, but it is deftly handled. Big and bold, this is a really good warmer climate Cab. Still youthful with satiny tannins and a long, lingering finish, the palate sees emergence of blueberry notes. This wine will provide immense pleasure over the next ten to fifteen years. And yes, I am aware that the villain in ‘Live and Let Die’ was actually Kananga and not Katunga, but close enough.