2010 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon

(aged for 18 months in 45% new French oak): Bright ruby-red. Sexy black raspberry and cassis fruit aromas and flavors are complicated by cedar, dusty spices, mocha, bitter chocolate and tobacco. Densely packed, smooth and deep, boasting excellent concentration and creamy depth--not to mention very good inner-mouth energy and perfume. A faint minty, herbal quality adds complexity without intruding on the wine's rich fruit. Finishes with a substantial tannic spine to support aging. I find more sweetness and depth here than the 2009 showed two years ago.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon works much better on the nose than the Merlot '10 – better definition and varietal expression with cedar-infused blackberry and cassis fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with dusty black fruit, good acidity and a structured, quite austere finish. This is perhaps an orthodox Stellenbosch Cabernet, but one that will offer pleasure over the next 4 to 5 years.