Cabernets with attitude from Howard Park, Alkoomi, Penley Estate & Allinda

Four fabulously hedonistic cabernets from four Australian regions, and a Bordeaux from the left bank, wave the flag to those seeking a little luxury.

Indulgent: Four Australian cabernets for your drinking pleasure.

“Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.”

I spotted this fabulously hedonistic quote on the label of one of our fabulously hedonistic cabernets on offer this week and couldn’t resist putting it up in lights.

Let’s be honest: if you’re reading this column you’re interested in one of the world’s great pleasures: fine wine. And if that’s our little luxury, let’s not feel too guilty. Our troubles will catch up soon enough.

The quote, published on the label of the super drinkable Penley Estate Tolmer cabernet sauvignon, comes from Dorothy Parker, an American poet and writer who roamed New York City in the 1920s with the likes of The New Yorker editor Harold Ross and actor Harpo Marx.

My wife and I worked for the New York Post in our early 30s and, being young(er) romantics, we loved to pop around the corner from our mid-town Manhattan office to Dorothy’s old stomping ground, the Algonquin Hotel, for a quick martini in her honour.

The record shows that Dorothy was a quote machine: fun, naughty and vicious in equal measures. “I like to have a martini, two at the very most; three, I’m under the table, four, I’m under my host!”

Quite the scandal was Dorothy but we should remember it was America’s Roaring Twenties.

She took no prisoners: “The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.’’

“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone’’, was one of her better-known zingers.

And being writers, my wife and I understood this quote well: “I hate writing, I love having written.”

So, I best get on with the writing and take care of the luxuries by introducing our superb line-up of four cabernet-dominant beauties, from four of Australia’s best wine regions, from four different vintages.

If you’d like to imbibe the spirit of Dorothy Parker, don’t overlook the opportunity to add three bottles of Bordeaux (RRP $55 a bottle) to your dozen. At a fabulous price, of course.

Alkoomi Blackbutt Frankland River Cabernet Blend 2014

Aged to perfection, from a five-star winery. Generous fruit without being overbearing; blackcurrant and cassis flavours, flecked with floral notes and hints of choc licorice. James Halliday awarded it 95 points, saying, “Bordeaux-like: leaf, bouquet garni, cassis and clove, swathed in a sage-soused tannic fold, accentuated by classy oak. Long and enveloping.” A steal in cabernet dozen. 13.5% alc; RRP $65 a bottle.

SPECIALS $54.99 a bottle in straight dozen; $21.99 a bottle in cabernet dozen

  

Allinda Limited Release Yarra Valley Cabernets 2016

From a vineyard free of chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides comes this finely layered cabernet blend (cabernet sauvignon 47%, petit verdot 26%, cabernet franc 17%, merlot 10%). Showing off the complexity of cool-climate Yarra reds, you’ll find cherry and berry scents leading to ripe fruit flavours and hints of cigar box, bay leaf and mint on the palate. Twenty-four months’ maturation with 12 months in 20% new oak. High-quality boutique wine. 13.5% alc. RRP $35 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.75 a bottle in straight dozen; $21.99 a bottle in cabernet dozen

Howard Park Miamup Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Classic Margaret River cabernet from one of the region’s pioneering wine families. Helmed by Jeff and Amy Burch, Howard Park has produced some of Australia’s most collected wines since opening in 1986. Margaret River is often likened to Bordeaux for its maritime climate, with its cabernets celebrated for their juiciness, poise and elegance. James Halliday writes of the Miamup: “Calm and persuasive, the cassis/blackcurrant fruit enhanced by 18 months in French barriques and (relatively) soft tannins.” 14% alc; RRP $28 a bottle.

SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in straight dozen; $21.99 a bottle in cabernet dozen

Penley Estate Tolmer Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Our Dorothy Parker-inspired friends in Coonawarra have created an intense expression of Coonawarra goodness. Wafts of blackcurrant and mint on the nose lead to a juicy core of blackcurrants and raspberries, framed by well-integrated chalky tannins supported by a nice line of acidity. Crafted by two highly regarded female winemakers Kate Goodman and Lauren Hansen. A luxury for now, or later. 14.5% alc; RRP $30 a bottle

SPECIALS $26.99 a bottle in straight dozen; $21.99 a bottle in cabernet dozen

PLUS Add three bottles of Chateau Ramage La Batisse 2011 for a 15-bottle deal at $22.99 a bottle

Chateau Ramage La Batisse 2011

From Bordeaux’s left bank, near world-renowned Pauillac in the Haut-Medoc appellation, comes this silky merlot-cabernet blend, grown just a short stroll from the premier cru Chateau Lafite and Mouton Rothschild. Eleven years into its life, you’ll find the classic hallmarks of Haut-Medoc claret – cassis, licorice and cedar. There’s still plenty of fruit – plums and blackberry flavours – shining through, balancing secondary characters like leather, spice and cedarwood. Three gold medals. Superb value. 13% alc; RRP $55 a bottle.

Order online or telephone [phone] Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine.