2009 Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon Reviews

“2009 was the pinnacle of a run of five great vintages in the West, and with an almost equal share of Great Southern in the blend, this wine shows that the blessings flowed beyond Margaret River. It's everything that you'd expect of the finest vintages of Abercrombie, yet, simultaneously, more vibrant lift, deeper black fruits, lower alcohol (13.5%), more precise poise, more textural tannins, greater energy and more epic persistence. It will unravel for decades.”

97 Points
Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste Weekly - 13-04-2012

“This important red has high expectations attached to it every year it is released. One of the country's best red wines, it delivers consistency and quality and a certain style of Cabernet year in year out. Priced accordingly, it is at the top end of the wine drinking experience for aficionados. Rest easy folks as 2009 will be no exception in the high expectations being again delivered stakes. I think it is an absolute cracker of a wine, albeit a young one. It has all the potential and restrained power there with its classic blackcurrant nose, just sitting there waiting to be slowly unleashed upon the drinker. Big but not OTT. Fine, grainy tannins, oak, enough to go the distance. Classic coffee, mocha oak at that. This has all the hallmarks of a very fine wine to follow. Oh and it drinks very well right now for those who can't or don't want to wait. Try it with a big juicy aged steak, medium rare.”

96 Points
Paul Ippolito, www.paulippolito.com.au - 13-04-2012

“One of the problems with handwritten tasting notes is that I sometimes struggle to read my own writing, and another is that I'm good at, erm, 'misplacing' them, so I don't use the old pen so much these days. Still, have a book full of them, and they start to add up pretty quickly. On the plus side, they're pretty much unreadable for anyone else... Blackberry, blackcurrant and cherry pie with a large serve of dusty cedar/mocha oak along with aniseed and subtle eucalyptus highlights. Medium weight but unashamedly firmly structured and tannic - pure and regal Cabernet Sauvignon with mighty length of flavour. Tasted over three days, each impression being more impressive than the last. Long term. Drink 2018 - 2035.”

95 Points
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 19-01-2012

“Deep purple-crimson; made from old vine cabernet from Great Southern (predominantly)/Margaret River; spends 20 months in 60% new French oak barriques and is fermented wild. This is classically powerful cabernet sauvignon, its fruit and tannins grappling with each other: over time the tannins will lose the battle and at the point of surrender, a truly great wine will emerge.”

96 Points
James Halliday, James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion - 27-07-2011