This Australian Cab hails from the red-earthed Coonawarra region. It’s both a classic beauty and a fresh new face.

Just make sure to give it two-to-three hours in the glass, or better, in a decanter, or better yet, two-to-three years in a cellar at 57 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a serious artist that needs plenty of time to warm up to the crowd.

After about an hour of being poured in a glass, this Aussie gives off black cherry, earth and minerals. Spicy cedar comes off after the 1:15 mark or so. Another half hour and a touch of eucalyptus emerges, too.

The palate develops just like the bouquet. Early on, the mouthfeel is soft and you get ripe cherry, oak and a hint of anise. But, you can tell it’s closed up and that there’s plenty of complexity lurking underneath.

Another hour in the glass and the fruit gets richer, the acidity gets brighter and spice gets spicier. In short, the wine gets better. Another hour in and you’ve got a legend in the making. It is beautifully balanced and has fruit and spice that is both powerful and yet not overdone. His California cousin could learn something about that.

The finish is gorgeous, with oak, cherry and a little cassis all lasting longer than the name of the region from which this wine hails.

Even if you haven’t been looking for an alternative to California Cabernet (Hey, I still love the stuff.), you’ve gotta get this wine. Quick, grab some while it’s still on its rise to stardom. Who knows how fame and the media’s scrutiny will change it.

Cheers,
TSW

* - Chimp Wine is a WoW designation signifying a no-brainer, must-buy wine (as in, "You'd have to be a chimp not to buy this wine.").

California cabernet is a lot like any other celebrity: The media loves to build it up just so it can tear it down.

It was amazingly recent that this elite red was all over "Extra" and "Access Hollywood," and doing the talk show circuit for audiences of screaming fans. The press couldn’t get enough and could write no wrong about California Cab.

“Cab, you’re so big and dark, and your oak is toastier than my uncle on Christmas,” fawned Leno in an interview last year. “You’re just about perfect. What’s your secret?”

“The Golden State’s golden boy is prohibitively expensive, and that makes us want him all the more,” wrote the Daily Planet’s art critic when Cab’s first-ever exhibit, "Black to Opaque" opened at the SF MOMA. “Regardless of what you think of his work, Cab is influencing taste and style around the world.”

My, my, how times change.

Now I’m fielding questions metaphorically left and right from people looking for anything but Cab, be it a rising new star or an old French classic.

For all those tired of California’s Cab because he too often phones in the same performance time after time, I do have a great suggestion: Seek out Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate cab in the black label.

While Cab is currently receiving the Michael Jackson media treatment (definitely in the tear down phase), his cousin from Australia is one of the new “can do no wrong” media darlings. Thankfully, it’s for good reason.