d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale (Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

I’m the sort of person who can’t just gloss over the name “Stump Jump” without wanting to know what it means.  (Perhaps another way of putting it is that I’m easily distracted).  If you don’t share my curiosity about such things, then go read someone else’s review, but in case you’re interested, here, in abbreviated form, is what I’ve learned:  A stump jump is a specific sort of plough, invented in South Australia to pull out stubborn tree stumps that made cultivating the scrublands almost impossible.  The invention of the stump jump, by a pair of brothers in the mid 19th century, allowed vast tracts of land to be opened up to agriculture (including viticulture).  D’Arenberg’s Cabernet, named in honor of this humble but essential piece of farm equipment, is as bold and bodacious as Australia’s pioneering grape-growers.  Sumptuously stuffed with fruitiness, and with a specific sort of oak-induced aroma that reminds me of a painter’s studio, the wine’s rush of virile flavor is irresistible.