Sandalford Prendiville Cabernet 2009

Sandalford Prendiville Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Margaret River, WA)
14.5%, Screwcap, $90
Source: Sample
www.sandalford.com

It’s always satisfying when you give a wine a high score in a blind, show judging lineup and then take it home and find out it’s even better. It sort of feels like you’re winning at life. Naturally it doesn’t always happen that way, like when I recently started praising what I thought was an intensely sweet and concentrated German Riesling and it turned out be a cheap Moscato (idiot).

Anyways, this is an excellent, dense and ripe Margaret River red that you’d be hard pressed to mistake as anything but MR Cabernet. It smells of roast lamb, expensive barrels and black soil/eucalypt style weight.

What makes this so glorious is simply that intensity – it’s a big, extractive, firm and uncompromising style with a ‘beef cheeks in red wine reduction’ style density that you can’t help but appreciate. It’s perhaps not strictly finessed, but the tannins, intensity of rich meaty flavours and unquestioned power really hooks you in.

Delicious full tilt Margaret River Cabernet (with well balanced oak at that too).

Drink: 2013-2023
Score: 18.5/20, 94/100
Would I buy it? With a few years of ageing this would be a ‘definitely buy; even despite the price.