Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Hillebrand Estates 2000 Showcase Cabernet Franc - $50

Digging into the cellar we find a bottle that might not be in the best of shape … Sommelier Dieter Unruh of Hillebrand asked for my thoughts on this and I was more than happy to give them. This J.L. Groux made bottle of wine had it’s grapes sourced from the Glenlake Vineyard and was made in limited quantity. Many consider 2000 not a great vintage year in Ontario, that’s putting it mildly, in fact, experts give it a 6 out of ten on the ranking scale. But this is what happens when menial fruit is given to a master winemaker … you get greatness. As they say, anyone can make wine in a good year, it’s the bad years that separate the men from the boys (with apologies to our female winemakers out there – but the “hair on your chest” comment didn’t seem to work either). The nose shows no sign of fading with green pepper, white pepper, black cherry and blackberry. While in the mouth it’s smooth with a hint of tannin: black fruit dominate with cassis, black raspberry, blackberries and blueberries. This is a wine you can safely hold for another two years, or drink now, it’s up to you; either way it’s held up pretty nicely.

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1 comment:

Jeltok said...

I just had a bottle of this 2000 Cabernet Franc (11 years old). The best wine I had in years!!!