Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Blackish crimson. Not sweet! This is centred more on a dry, mineral axis, rather different from its peers. It finishes dry and seems a ready friend to food. The fruit/tannin balance seems pretty ambitious with tannins that will carry it through for many a long year, but they are ripe not hard work. Bone-dry finish.

Inglenook's tightly wound 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon features plenty of bright red berries on the nose, ranging from cherries and redcurrants through to cranberry, all accented by hints of cocoa powder and dried herbs. It's medium to full-bodied, taut and streamlined, with ample energy and length on the softly tannic finish.

This is serious with a deep dark-fruited character, notes of iodine, black olives, charred bark, smoky flint and raw mushrooms. Full-bodied, so refined and polished with an array of ultra-fine, silky tannins that lasts for minutes. Broad and encompassing with a long finish. Hints of sea shell, iron and umami. Extremely well-made. Better after 2026.

This red marries fleshy cassis and blackberry puree notes with a taut cast iron accent, while cedar, vanilla and apple wood notes frame the edges. Shows a violet accent in the background as this moves slowly through the structured finish. Best from 2025 through 2040. 4,925 cases made.

Inglenook's Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon acts as a second wine to their famed Rubicon red: in the Bordeaux tradition, lots that don't make it into their flagship are used here, aged in 50% new French oak. This 2021 comes from a historically dry Napa Valley vintage. It shows a beautifully deep ruby colour, lovely black plum fruit aromatics, and elegant cedarwood and mineral expressions. The lifted nose belies a full-bodied palate with intense tannins that sport a granular edge. Very pure black cherry fruits and a firm spine of refreshing acidity balance out the intensity, ending with excellent length, nuanced by fresh mineral tension.

Silky but muscular tannins, expands through the mid palate, showing intense black fruits, concentrated blackberry pie, grilled sandalwood, graphite and tar, great quality, grips through the palate, long ageing ahead. Todd Devincenzi director, Philippe Bascaules winemaker.