Boireann Winery 2007 The Lurnea

I have encountered some opinion that Cabernet Sauvignon is a lesser variety on The Granite Belt. I do get what people mean but would add that it’s certainly not Coonawarra or Margaret River, the exceptional 2019 vintage aside, but there’s a secret to Granite Belt Cabernet Sauvignon and the same secret applies to Merlot. It just happens that this 2007 Lurnea is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The back label says “made using grapes from selected premium Granite Belt vineyards” which is usually Peter Stark code for, “I lost most of my fruit to frost or hail or both and had to source local grapes elsewhere”. So unlikely that this is estate fruit. Anyway … back to the secret. Purchase, especially Cabernet but also Merlot that has been made to cellar and then cellar it. If you enjoy tertiary flavours in wine don’t stop the cellaring process at 10 years, keep it going for 13+ or ++.2007 lurnea

This 13 year old Lurnea is a hedonistic experience. It’s deeply coloured and you can see from some of the photos there is just a little bricking. The bouquet is trussed with foundational cassis and unfolds sweet and savoury berries, both black and blue and something a little purple. There is a little cigar box and milk chocolate and earthy notes produce some sensory caress.

The palate is lush, both sweet and savoury but mainly savoury, again the cassis begins the narration but is joined by blackberries and blueberries which have been impregnated with a little milk chocolate and there is some earth and stone underneath. The length of flavours is prolonged and lingering still driven by enough acid to enliven the wine and the tannins are fully resolved, very find indeed and silky in mouthfeel.

2007 wasn’t the greatest of local vintages, nevertheless this wine will continue to provide drinking pleasure over the next 4 – 5 years if cellared under good conditions. Given this result I won’t be opening the 2005 (an exceptional local vintage) for a few years yet. A big shout out to the generosity of Brad Rowe at Boireann who managed to find the 2005 and 2007 in his cellar and added them to my last carton of Boireann Beauties!

Tasted: Friday 27th November, 2020 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $25 – guesstimate!
Suggested Drinking Window: now to 2025
Winemaker: Peter Stark
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Posted by Peter Pacey

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