A very elegant young Coleraine with lovely aromas of oyster shell, lead pencil, sweet tobacco, black currant and moss. Very perfumed and expressive. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that are polished and energetic with some citrusy acidity underneath. Some dust to the texture. This is the second highest blend of cabernet sauvignon in the history of Coleraine with 84% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot and the rest cabernet franc.

For classicists, this cuvée remains the closest you'll get to Bordeaux. It is richly aromatic, exuding pure blackcurrant and Cabernet's varietal tobacco and leafy notes, but there's never an overt sweetness, resisting any new world caricature. There's abundant tannin here, providing structure and assuring its longevity, but they're tender in nature, and that's probably a reflection of the team pulling back on their extraction regime since 2020. It's dark; it's intense; it's pure blackcurrant Cabernet; it's blackcurrant leaf, and it has just the right amount of dark chocolate bitterness. The oak is a supporting act that provides cedar and Christmas spices but never gets in the way, even at this early stage. In all, this is surprisingly well-balanced. Based on vintage reports, I didn't have high hopes after the superlative 2021 vintage, but the high proportion of the late-ripening, thick-skinned Cabernet at the dry end of the season has ensured it maintains its high standards.(RG)