The '00 looks similar in color to the '99, but is a rustic, earthy cab that doesn't share the sweet fruit right up front. What it does have is enough eucalyptus to make a koala drool - a signature and enjoyable element of Australian cabs.

Earth and chocolate are in nose more than the '99, although the chocolate took almost an hour to break out. On the palate it shows more, but not all of the fruit from its older brother, while it matches it on oak.

At the conclusion of the very formal taste test, you will likely determine that both wines "totally rock" (a technical wine term).

And one of the best things about this wine is that there are still good amounts of the 1999 sitting on shelves, and the 2000s are now out and squeezing the '99s out of space. That means some retailers are discounting the wine to make room. While full price breaks the WoW "splurge" price point of +$20, you can probably find it for a bit less. (It also means you really can do that taste-test!)

So, this cabernet sauvignon doesn't have a whole lot in common with the typical teenager. In one respect that's a bit disappointing. I'd love for the bottle to go through a teen-like growth spurt over the next year. How nice would it be to put away a standard 750 ml bottle and have it grow into a magnum!

Cheers,
TSW

* - Please note that these taste tests do not require you to 1) be alone, or 2) consume the entire bottle to accurately judge the wine's character. Drinking two bottles of wine by your lonesome isn't research, it's a problem. WoW supports responsibly geeking out on wine.

Wilder on Wine is usually a little particular (read: "anal") about getting the right wine, all the way down to the year. This is for good (or at least justifiable) reason. A lot of the time wine behaves like a young teenager - easy-going and a lot of fun one year, but awkward, gangly and angst-ridden the next. Often, a few years of age dramatically helps both. But when looking for good dinner company tonight, you might be better off locking both in the closet.

This week you can let your guard down and simply pick up a pretty bottle of wine! Our Aussie buddy Peter Lehmann has given us two great cabs in '99 and 2000, and either one is ready to drink now (though both have the stuffing to last a few years easy).

Better still - the two wines are quite a bit different from each other. If you find both (and you might, but more on that later), you can participate in one of the ultimate wine geek activities and conduct a side-by-side taste test!* (Thrilling, we know.)

In your test, you might just find what we did: The '99 is a big, lush wine the color of blood in a teen-slasher film. The nose has tons of cedar and spice mixed with currant, cherry and plum.

There are definitely some tannins and acidity in the palate, but they block the flavors from really singing. But, after being resealed and reexamined the next day, everything was there in a richness that was hiding behind the acidity.