Tinhorn Creek The Creek 2014

It took 23 years to release a flagship red at Tinhorn Creek, The Creek, but CEO and former winemaker Sandra Oldfield decided 2014 would be the year. The blend is a mix of vines from six to twenty years, grown on the home Golden Mile Vineyard site and across the valley at Black Sage. The mix is 53/19/17/9/2 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Sauvignon dominated red is partially wild fermented and aged for two years in French and Hungarian barrels. Global warming has inspired winemaker Andrew Windsor to take a chance on the later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon to give The Creek a strong, linear edge which, has been achieved with 2014. The soft entry devolves into a mineral, salty, nutty, blueberry fruit-laden palate. A touch softer and more approachable than the complex 2015.