Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

"Primary fruit screams out of the glass. Although a mere pup, it is extremely approachable. Soft and round, impeccably balanced and showing a lot of class. Classic Coonawarra structure, elegant yet generous, and very long. Great wine."  Divine Magazine

"The wines are packed with ripe fruit and oaky, earthy characters, yet they float across the palate with elegance and finesse. By the end of the tasting (19 vintages of Bowen Cabernet!) there was no doubt just how good the Bowen Cabernet is and how well it ages. There wasn't really a dud amongst the whole lot, so it not surprising that Bowen Estate is regularly listed as one of this country's top cabernets."  Divine Magazine, Vertical Tasting 1979-1998 Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Expert reviews

Jeremy Oliver - 95 points 

"Lots of flavour in this 1998 Bowen Estate cabernet sauvignon. Beefy Coonawarra cabernet, thick with blackberry, cassis and chocolate-like flavour, the fruit of it out-muscling the structure of it. A darling of a drink short-to-medium term, though perhaps not for extended cellaring. Lots of flavour. Lots of bang. Drank a lot of this as a young wine, and loved every slurp of it."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 92 points

"Primary fruit screams out of the glass. Although a mere pup, it is extremely approachable. Soft and round, impeccably balanced and showing a lot of class. Classic Coonawarra structure, elegant yet generous, and very long. Great wine. (Tasted June 2000)."  Divine Magazine

"I have seen very mixed reports over the Bowen label for the last few years; but whilst decanting this wine, as the pristine fruit aromas bounded out of the bottle, it was easy to understand the positive reports. Even after only a few minutes in the glass, although the wine was brooding; it was classy and unmistakably Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. On the palate, this wine is just as impressive. Pure, clean fruit combines with unobtrusive tannins to produce a harmonious, supremely balanced, beautifully integrated wine. Blackcurrant, milk chocolate, plum, hints of coffee, together with cigar box and tomato leaf characters provide a refined complexity. Rated as Highly Recommended with room for improvement, as the wine gains added complexity with age."  Ric Einstein, www.torbwine.com - 2005

About the winery

Bowen Estate is one of the iconic Coonawarra wineries.  Family-owned and operated, it celebrated its 40th vintage in 2015. Regional veteran Doug Bowen has handed over the winemaking responsibilities to daughter Emma and has 'retired' to the position of viticulturist.

Bowen Estate produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Chardonnay. They are estate grown in clonally planted heritage vineyards and hand crafted, traditionally made wines. They are individually hand-pruned ensuring each one produces maximum quality; this enables Doug Bowen to restrict the crop size resulting in wines that are full bodied with great depth of colour and longevity. In the winery, daughter Emma, crafts wines using these grapes which have been machine harvested and then crushed within an hour of harvesting. Fermented at cool temperatures, the Cabernet Sauvignon is quietly aged in French Oak whilst the Shiraz is in American Oak barriques. One-third new oak is used each year and after 18 – 20 months in wood the wine is bottled awaiting release.