Jim Barry, Clare Valley (South Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

 I’ve got my doubts that anybody outside of Australia would try to make great Riesling and great Cabernet Sauvignon in the same area.  I’ve also got my doubts that anybody else could make it work, but I’ll be damned if the vintners of Clare Valley don’t manage to do exactly that, and do it year after year.  This is indisputably great Cabernet, showing a stately character that I love unreservedly.  The fruit is fully ripe but still admirably restrained in character, showing notes of blackberries and black cherries along with nicely integrated undertones of dried herbs, subtle spices and the faintest whiff of toast.  The tannins are sufficiently abundant to enable this to develop for years to come, but they definitely don’t preclude current enjoyment, as they’re fine in grain and easily counterbalanced by the wine’s fruit.  Every element in this wine is beautifully proportioned, with the result that it packs a lot of flavor without ever seeming pushy.  That’s an impressive feat, and this is a very impressive wine precisely because it comes off seeming so natural, integrated and…odd as this may seem, effortless.  A thoroughbred.