2004 Cowlin 'Noble Hill' delicious Cabernet/Merlot blend out of the Paarl
Tasting
Notes
10/03/06
The 2004 Cowlin ‘Noble Hill’ shows a nice mixture of red and black fruit, with a noted sweet lift of the fruit edged with well managed oak which adds a dusty cedar, spice note, as well as subtle vanilla undertones, then cut with a faint vegetal leafy element coming up through the fruit tones. The palate displays a refined edge with good structure in a medium-fuller bodied format, sleeker textured with darker plum and red currant fruit being framed with a well integrated sweet vanilla note on the finish. The tannins are fined grained and really show good balance and integration on the dryer finish.
A blend of near equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, that although it has it origins in the warmer Paarl region of South Africa, reminds of a well made Cru Bourgeois from the Right Bank of Bordeaux. It has some mid palate juiciness with a nice fleshy texture, offering flavors of plum and current, etched with some leafy notes. Classically structured with a solid core of sweet fruit and supporting oak and finer grained tannins on the dry finish, this should drink quite nicely over the next 4-5 years
