Cabernet Sauvignon Mudgee and Frankland River
The Oatley family highlights the link to the convict days and their clock-making ancestor with this unique coast-to-coast blend of cabernet sauvignon from Mudgee and Frankland River. It combines the talents of Larry Cherubino as a consultant and James Mannners as winemaker to great effect. The wine works, and is very good value. There are fragrant wild herb aromatics, lively blackberry and mulberry flavours, smooth texture, and a sumptuous finish. Delicious current drinking.
4 stars - wine of excellence. Displaying a subtle nose of red berries, spice, dark toast and kitchen herbs, this medium-full-bodied red has luscious, spiced red and black berry flavours, underlain with supple, ripe tannin and pleasing acidity. Attractive hints of charry toast and mint linger on the warm, extended finish. A good choice on a cool evening, it's also great with pepper steak or lamb with fresh mint sauce.
88 Points. A full-bodied red with an almost sweet, maraschino-cherry core, savoury back note and crisp, juicy finish. Good for grilled beef.
4 Stars. Displaying a subtle nose of red berries, spice, dark toast and kitchen herbs, this medium-full-bodied red has luscious, spiced red and black berry flavours, underlain with supple, ripe tannin and pleasing acidity. Attractive hints of charry toast and mint linger on the warm, extended finish. A good choice on a cool evening, it's also great with pepper steak or lamb with fresh mint sauce.
Bronze Medal, Intervin, November 2010
Tony Aspler, www.tonyaspler.com, April 2010, Ontario, Canada
88 Points (Mudgee & Frankland River fruit): dense purple-ruby colour; blackcurrant nose with a floral grace note; simple flavours of sweet blackcurrant fruit; medium to full-bodied with a firm tannic finish (88).
Shelley Boettcher, Calgary Herald, April 2010, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
I'm a sucker for a good story - who isn't? - and there's a good one behind this wine. Winemaker Bob Oatley founded Rosemount, one of the best-known Australian wineries in the world. Now at Robert Oatley Vineyards, he's named his Tic Tok series of wines after his great-great-grandfather James Oatley, a convict who was banished for life to Australia from England, back in the days when Oz was a prison colony. But the guy gave up crime for clocks, and became a renowned watchmaker. Get it? Tic Tok. This Cabernet Sauvignon is easy to drink, with soft spicy berry notes and gentle tannins (the stuff that makes the inside of your mouth feel dry when you drink red wines). A new Oz label that's likely to become as familiar to Albertans as Wolf Blass, Lindemans and, big surprise, Rosemount. - Drink: Now or cellar for a year or two. Pair with hamburgers, bison burgers, steak or lamb. - Best for: Yarn-spinners, book clubs, Aussie fan club nights. - Price: $17, widely available.
James Nevison, The Province, April 2010, British Columbia, Canada.
B+, Lip Smacking Red. Tis the season for Cabernet (well, all right, Cabernet is great any time of the year) and this fresh Cabernet is just the thing for this weekend. The Tic Tok is all Cabernet Sauvignon, but it's crafted using Cab Sauv from two very distinct Australian wine regions. Bridging Mudgee fruit from New South Wales with grapes grown in Frankland River of Western Australia, this bottle is quite expressive, highlighted by currant, blackberry, and minty aromas followed by a whoosh of ripe fruit and underlying green bean in the mouth. Overall it's rich, smooth and perfect for an impromptu wine and cheese party.
MacPhee-Sigurdson, Winnipeg Free Press, August 2010, Manitoba, Canada.
90 points. James Oatley 2008 "Tic Tok" Cabernet Sauvignon (Mudgee & Frankland River, Australia — $16.25, available at Liquor Marts and beyond). This Aussie red from two regions is named after winemaker Robert Oatley's great-great-grandfather, a British clockmaker found guilty of stealing bed linen and sent to Australia in the early 1800s. Beautiful anise, blackberry, blueberry and floral notes come through on the nose, backed by a hint of bell pepper. Full-bodied with ripe black fruit, the anise and bell/black pepper work with tangy acidity to keep things lively. Very nice. 90/100, Ben
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011
88 points. The blend of Mudgee/Frankland River works well, Mudgee providing the mid-palate fruit, Frankland River the structure and length. Screwcap. 14.5% alc.
Cabernet Sauvignon Mudgee and Frankland River
88 Points. Aromas of cedar, cherry, spice, cassis, and licorice. An excellent buy.
RECOMMENDED. An Australian cabernet from the Mudgee and Frankland River wine regions, this delivers across the board. Look for plush, concentrated fruit, good complexity and structure, and excellent balance. It's a natural for red meats and hearty stews. 13.5-per-cent alcohol; $15.95 (187179)
Lovely nose of dark, fleshy blackberries, smoke and a hint of mint. Good, balanced acidity for food. Smooth and full-bodied. Food matches: pasta with tomato sauce, sauces with mushrooms, BBQ beef, stews, braised meats and poultry, salami.