2002 Jim Barry The Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Advocate
"96 pts ... A new offering that I have never tasted before is the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon The Benbournie, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 14 months in French oak. This spectacular effort admirably demonstrates what can be achieved in Clare Valley with Cabernet. (See the wines of Kilikanoon as well.) Gorgeous peppery, minty, black currant, and flowery scents jump from the glass of this inky/purple-hued wine. Full-bodied, powerful, intense, and rich, with notes of roasted meats, dried herbs, and spice, good purity, and a sensational finish, it is accessible now, and should drink well for 15-20 years." --10/06

James Halliday
"91 pts ... Deep colour and equally deep-flavoured wine, with blackcurrant fruit at the extremely ripe end of the scale, the tannins and oak well-handled. Drink through 2017." --3/08

Wine Spectator
"92 pts ... Firm in texture, with a plush layer of cherry and red currant fruit pushing through, shaded with fresh red pepper and sage character as the finish persists. A distinctive wine with an aristocratic feel. Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2010 through 2014." --10/08

Winemaker's Notes
"This is a mature, refined cabernet sauvignon, with a bouquet of complexity, with lifted aromas of cedar, menthol, blackcurrant, cigar box, roasted capsicum, nutmeg and marzipan. The palate is soft and supple, displaying a textural component that has been made more prominent by extended maturation in the bottle. Long fine grained tannins are apparent, with a vibrancy of fresh fruit that shows potential for further development with age. Cellar 8-10 years."

Technical Notes
"Jim Barry’s friend and gentleman neighbour, Duncan McRae Wood, sold him 70 acres on Benbournie Road in 1964 and, on this prime land, Jim planted his first vineyard to Cabernet Sauvignon. Part of this land would later be planted with Shiraz and go on to produce the internationally renowned ‘The Armagh’. The fruit was hand harvested on 18 April, and crushed and destemmed into open fermenters with header boards keeping the cap submerged. The ferment took seven days, with daily rack-and-return and pumping over to maximise extraction of flavour and colour. Pressings were added back to the free-run and the wine matured in new American oak for 14 months. Acid 6.7g/L; p.H. 3.4 14.5% alc."