JOURNEY’S END | V4 Cabernet Sauvignon | 2016
cabernet sauvignon

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Tonight we are going to review a very interesting, single-varietal cabernet sauvignon wine from the South Africa‘s famous Stellenbosch wine region – V4 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 by Journey’s End. Among the long, rolling slopes of the Stellenbosch winelands, caressed by cool coastal breezes, lies the boutique Journey’s End winery, where cabernet sauvignon feels like home. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world in a wide range of climates and regions and it can produce wines high in tannins and acidity, wines that can mature and develop for many years in the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a late ripening grape variety, which means that it is best suited to warm climates, where it can result in wines that can reach into realms of perfection. This particular wine has been signed by winemaker Mike Dawson and is produced of grapes that were sourced from the “6B” block, planted on south-facing slopes that are dominated by granite soils and has been aged for 17 months in french oak barrels, from which 30% new oak. Only 38 barrels made it into the final wine. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
_________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium garnet color
clarity: hazy garnet hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & earthy
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant | dried black cherry | blackberry
fruit character: ripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: black pepper | thyme | rosemary
__oak: black tea | oaktree bark | sun-dried oakwood
__savory: black olive | soy sauce | capocollo | iron | veal | leather
__earthy: black soil dust | granite
primary layer: savory & earthy

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: firm | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & dried
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: long
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
JOURNEY’S END VINEYARDS | V4 Cabernet Sauvignon | 2016
variety: cabernet sauvignon
country: South Africa
region: Stellenbosch
rating: 93.4

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or age for 2-3 years
verdict: great | a must try wine
_________________________________________________________________________
This is definitely a great wine of South Africa and, with a total of 93.4 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite firm, supple and round cabernet sauvignon wine that is right there, at the peak of its prime form, therefore it is definitely ready to be enjoyed today or in the next 2 to 3 years. The wine delivers ripe and grippy tannins on the palate, exuberant acidity and an overwhelming alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. It has a noble, earthy-savory character, with a full body and a very well structured palate. On the nose it delivers ripe & dried black fruits in the foreground, supported by a savory-earthy background, with a slightly spicy layer in between the two. This is definitely a wine that will go well alongside meaty dishes that are rich in natural flavour, like for example a black angus filet mignon or an old-fashioned tomahawk steak. Enjoy!

_________________________________________________________________________
© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.