Train Trak 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Oct 05

 

This wine hails from the Yarra Valley and as I have heard some good things about this label, I was looking forward to trying it. Upon opening and taking the first sniff, my gut reaction was there is something wrong with the wine. A touch of Brett! No, a touch of TCA, so I left the glass for half an hour to see what happened. After 30 minutes, the nasty aromas had evaporated leaving a bouquet that was is a whistle, attractive, showing floral, brambly fruit, milk chocolate, some earthy and oak type nuances. Unobtrusive, very fine tannins hold the wine together beautifully and perfectly frame some wonderful fruit. Approachable now, the attractive berry and chocolate fruit finishes with good intensity for its mid-weight, but the finish is marred by one of three things, either the acid is out in the balance (my best guess,) or it had a tiny amount of TCA, or there is a touch of Brett which contributes to the strange finish. This is one of those unusual cases where I'm not sure if the wine was sound, let alone which one of three possible problems could have been the cause for the poor finish. As a result, the wine has not been rated.