Longhop 2005 Old Vine Reserve Nov 06

Tasting Note

Sydney Time

Longhop 2005 Old Vine Reserve Nov 06

Made by the talented Domenic Torzi, this is a blend of 65% Cabernet and 35% Shiraz with fruit sourced from the Adelaide Plains, sells for $30 and is sealed with a screwcap. Even after having been opened for many hours, the bouquet was brooding and didn't want to reveal itself. Tannins are slightly powdery, the acid youthful, and the fruit deep and strong. Construction is excellent and it will be long-lived. A full-bodied wine, its firm, solid, as tight as a you know what, and has a well-developed complexity. The profile is black with tar, blackberry, toasted coffee oak essence and oregano that lingers very well. Whilst it is similar in flavour profile to the Old Plains, I prefer this wine. It is slightly more traditional in structure and mouth feel too. Drinking it now would be a criminal waste; it demands time for the oak to be absorbed by the fruit, and it has the best potential of the three recent Torzi releases. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2013.