Thursday, May 29, 2014

Melba "Lucia" Yarra Valley 2008

Cabernet Sauvignon 88% Sangiovese 12%, 13.5% a/v
For some strange reason Australia's biggest liquor wholesaler has this lurking on its website well below regular wholesale price. Is it an experiment to see if anyone trawls through the commercial rubbish? Or are they trying to shift volumes through another channel? Don't know and don't care as I'd already tasted the wines some months ago. So my eyes lit up and the first load has just arrived

While the names and the back label justification nonsense make me laugh, this is a serious red that reflects Chief Winemaker Steve Webber's desire to experiment. It's elegant, spicy, cool climate cabernet based and in fact could have been labelled as just cabernet sauvignon. There's medium weight that offer a touch of rusticity so please don't expect high alcohol fruit driven blockbusters.

"Wines made from the Sangiovese/Cabernet blend in Italy are called Super-Tuscans. So by definition Lucia must be a Super-Yarra wine, and guess what, on the palate, it certainly has a super flavour. With Sangiovese providing the sour cherry tang and Cabernet bringing a strict blackcurrant core, this wine has intriguing fruit notes making it a compelling proposition. I am a huge critic of both Italian and Spanish grape varieties in Australia because most fall short of the mark; but this 2008 vintage release is a stunner made all the more beautiful by its five years in bottle which has mellowed this wild child into an irresistible diva." Matthew Jukes, www.winerules.com.au, September 2013
"This is an elegant long wine with the refinement that the Yarra can deliver mouth watering balance of savoury fruit finely grippy tannin and acidity put them a different class to most of their ilk. Very good food wine sangio sings here even if in the chorus. Needs five years cellaring before introducing to friends."   Rob Geddes, Australian Wine Vintages, July 2013

Our Price $16 per bottle by the dozen

SOLD OUT

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