REVIEW
Tantalus ‘Ecluse Reserve’ Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Malbec 2014
Blended Red from New Zealand – Northland & Auckland
Review Date - 08-Aug-2016
 
18+/20
Very dark, black-hued ruby-red colour, a little lighter on
the rim. The nose is tight and
concentrated with an amalgam of ripe blackcurrant fruit with cassis liqueur,
along with aromatic, spicy, exotic oak vanillins. The aromatics are sleek and the nose has real
depth. Medium bodied and elegant in
proportion, the palate possesses a tightly bound, finely concentrated core of
sweetly ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit along with black plums and spicy
new oak showing vanilla, cedar and pencil shavings. Notes of cassis and liquorice unfold, adding
detail. The fruit is underlined by very
fine-grained, flowery tannin extraction and structure, forming an elegant line,
and the mouthfeel is enlivened by fresh, lacy acidity. The palate has concentration, energy and
poise, and carries to a long, sustained finish with exotic oak notes. This is an elegant and tightly concentrated
Cabernet/Merlot blend with ripe currant and cassis fruit along with spicy,
exotic oak and a fine structured line. Match
with roast lamb and beef dishes, and semi-hard cheeses over the next 8-10
years. Hand-picked fruit, a blend of 58%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, fermented to
14.0% alc., the wine aged 11 months in 100% new French oak barriques. 18.0+/20
Jul 2016 RRP $65.00
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