Magarey Lane Shiraz 2017

"A sneaky little Barossa beauty from Magarey Lane that’s flown under the radar and landed at my door. A 2017 Cab with a bit of age behind it, bringing all the good stuff. No fancy label, no big ego, just a run of the mill enjoyable red that tastes a little like fruitcake. For what I paid for it, I'm happily giving this old girl a 3/5. She'll do mate."

The Taste Test

What's going on in the glass?

A lot! Too much perhaps

🪵🍫💼🚬🍇🥮

Looks: Deep purple

Smell: Tobacco, Oak, Plum, BMW leather smell, chocolate

Taste: Grippy tannin, dark fruits, fruitcake like taste.

Feel: F'ckin full bodied

Goodbye: Taste hangs around long after the party is over.

The Damage

What did I pay? A bargain price! 💰💰🙂

What I paid: $20

Retails for: $115 Cellar Door

Scored from: Dozen Deals

Total loot: x12

The Verdict

Would I buy it again? Maybe, for the same price! 🤔

The drink: 3/5

Bang for buck: 4/5

Go back factor: 2/5

Punt payoff: 3/5

Overall verdict: 3/5

Not a bad little punt on a Coonawarra Cab

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those varieties where Australia has built a smashing reputation. From Coonawarra to Margaret River, we’ve been making world-class Cab for decades, and thankfully, you don’t always need to spend mega bucks to find a bottle that delivers.

Enter the Magarey Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.

No flashy reputation, cult following or wine snobs whispering about 200 bottles made from a vineyard planted in 1897 by Sir Rupert McLovin. It’s just a good old-fashioned Aussie Cabernet sitting quietly, waiting to be opened.

There’s dark fruit, blackberry, plum, tobacco, oak and chocolate, with that savoury edge you get from a bit of bottle age. But guys, I shit you not, I’m tasting Lion’s fruitcake in this thing.

Then there’s the nose. It reminds me of getting into my Mum’s BMW 3 Series back in the day. There’s something very particular about BMW leather, and somehow that’s exactly what I’m getting here. Oddly specific, but there it is!

The tannins are still hanging around, giving it plenty of structure. It’s full-bodied, flavoursome and probably best mates with a big fat grilled rump steak.

Did it give me that “bloody hell, where has this been hiding?” moment? Not quite.

But at around $20? This is good value.

And bonus points for being under cork with a wax seal. Completely unnecessary? Probably. Does it make opening the bottle more of an adventure? Can I show off my de-corking skills? Absolutely.

Would I buy another case? Probably not. Would I happily drink it again at the right price? Yep.

Not every bargain needs to be a five-star revelation. Sometimes a solid, enjoyable bottle that punches above its price is enough.

Magarey Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 — 3/5. A decent little number.