The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful, earthy and intense, with a level of darkness and mid-palate sweetness that is atypical for a young Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2015 possesses huge inky blue/purplish fruit, equally huge tannins and phenomenal overall balance. It is early days for this notoriously slow to mature wine, but the 2015 has the potential to take its place among the greatest wines ever made at Mayacamas. Sadly, yields were down 50-70% depending on the block, mostly because of bad weather during flowering.

At first fairly inward, shut down and tannic, but after 30 minutes in the glass it softened and began to open up to reveal what is clearly a fantastic wine hiding in its shell. The classic Mayacamas mix of dark fruits, svelte tannins and saline character is here in full force, and this vintage is a perfect candidate to spend decades in the collection of any serious wine lover who values balance, craft and expression.

Deep ruby colour. Baked tomatoes and sweet cassis on the nose. Plump, rich and rounded on the palate, full of fleshy dark fruits and a hint of cedar and sweet spice. Approachable on account of the fine tannins. (TP)