A Cascabel is a small bell used in Spanish celebrations and is synonymous with festivity, liveliness and charm. The name here seems apt as these are also some of the qualities we look for in the enjoyment of wine.

Located at the southern end of McLaren Vale in south Australia, Cascabel is a joint project of winemakers Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez who are not content to offer yet another ‘boutique’ wine thrown together to meet some marketing ploy. Their plan is to produce wines with a complexity and finesse beyond simple combinations of fruit and oak. They choose to control the quality of their wines by being personally and passionately involved in every step of the wine-making process from crush to bottling and to create all of their wines in-house. Their inspirations are the medium- to full-bodied red blends of the Rhône in France and the Rioja in Spain.

Composé is a blend of 50% Mourvèdre and 50% Syrah. That they choose to use the words Mourvèdre (instead of the usual Australian term Mataro) and Syrah (instead of Shiraz) suggests the inspiration and style of the wine. As their own tasting notes attest – “Compose wines are in essence blends and styles that pursue lively and charming wines with supple tannins and less overt oak influence, while allowing the varieties to show their most natural seductiveness. We love working with Rhone blends and the aim is to release a light and elegant wine with only one year in barrel, allowing freshness and charm so evident of these varieties when released young.”

In reviewing the current 2011 vintage Stephen Tanzer of the International Wine Cellar awarded the wine 90 points with the notes, “Pungent aromas of raspberry liqueur, lavender and licorice, lifted by an exotic Indian spice quality. Lush and pliant but with a surprisingly light touch to its flavors of red berries, floral pastilles and spicecake. Youthfully energetic and taut on the finish, which shows appealing sweetness and no obvious tannins. This is a very suave wine for the money.”

This delicious beauty of a wine is currently available at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits for $16.99. Enjoy!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

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