Wine Entry : Jacob's Creek Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley 1998 (Australia)

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I suspect that this bottle was purchased from DFS, it is a limited release with a bottle number 47076 (quick go and buy 4-D with it!). In all honesty, I am not the biggest fan of Jacob's Creek after tasting their wine at a local restaurant many years ago. It definitely did not give me further confidence after the cork broke while using the corkscrew. I had to tediously filter all the wine into a decanter. But objectively, despite being a wine that lasted 10 years, and a reddish brown tinge, it still had fair amount of fruit and firm tannins to last it five years more or so. But not really to my taste, would probably continue avoiding Jacob's Creek. Besides, isn't Barossa more reknowned for their Shiraz?

Smell : Ribena like, oaky with pepperish spice.

Taste : Blend of oak and blackcurrents eventually overwhelming the initial herbal tea taste. Touch of bitter dark chocolate and aniseed.

After-taste : Firm, astringent tannins, of good length that need a few more years of maturity.

Description at back of bottle : 2001 marks the 25th anniversary of Jacob's Creek and to commemorate this milestone, this exceptional Barossa Cab Sav from the outstanding 1998 vintage has been released. Premium fruit was hand picked from selected Cabernet blocks adjacent to the Orlando winery. The resultant wine displays regional Barossa Cabernet flavours with a richness of fruit and depth of flavour that can only ben achieved during exceptional vintage conditions. Matured in new French hogsheads for 20 months, the wine enjoys the added complexity of cedary oak and has fine structured tannins. This bottle can be enjoyed for up to 20 years given careful cellaring.