Wolf Blass Yellow Label, South Australia, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
$10.99

I had this wine on Thanksgiving and I probably should have waited. It was too big and tannic to go with the Turkey but on its own it was not too bad.

Color: Dark purple with sharp bright edges, no sign of early oxidation.

Nose: Nice, damp earth, leather notes backed by stone fruit of ripe cherry and plum. After a while the wine opens up to chocolate, coffee and slight mint aromas.

Palate: Could use a lot more aging. There are a lot of seed tannins (a sign of rough fruit handling) roughing up your palate and the wine finishes very quickly. There is a lot of acidity that accentuates the tannin. The alcohol is 13.5% which is very modest for an Aussie red, and as far as mouthfeel, the alcohol really sits on the sidelines.

Overall: I really like the nose on this wine but the palate seems really unbalanced and chaotic to me. Maybe with a few years in the bottle it will mellow out and be more enjoyable, but at this price wine should be made for drinking now.

I give it a B-