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Background: The name 'Cabernets' is not shorthand for cabernet sauvignon. There is a usage of cabernets denoting 'grapes of the cabernets sort' that dates back to James Busby in the 1830s and the name has been used by many Australian producers, notably Mount Mary in the Yarra Valley in more recent times. There is a flavour characteristic that is common to the Bordeaux varieties that may be due to a shared genetic inheritance. We do know that cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc gave genes to Cabernet Sauvignon and it would not be at all surprising that some of these same genes appear in the makeup of malbec and merlot. The most different grape in the group is probably petit verdot. It has been the practice in the trade to use the term cabernets for a blend of these varieties regardless of composition and to talk of the Bordeaux varieties as 'grapes of the cabernets sort'. The usage is not codified but in our case the name ëcabernetsí tells you that there are three or more of the Bordeaux varieties in the wine.
The practice of using varietal names for wine has liberated the industry. Australian producers no longer use of French place names as a shorthand description of what is in the bottle. Names like Burgundy, Champagne and Chablis have disappeared from the shelves to be replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The world is simpler for the change and consumers probably less confused. It is also great for the French who did not want people stealing their trademarks. However, the use of varietal names is only possible where more than 85% of the wine is comprised of a particular variety and many a winemaker considers that there are advantages to be had in blending two or more varieties. If there are only two it is easy enough to put both on the label. However some consumers are thoroughly confused by this practice and will refer to a wine called Semillon Verdelho as simply Verdelho. Cabernet Merlot becomes simply Merlot. It is probably for this reason that one rarely sees two varietal names on a label and almost never three. There is also the tendency for consumers to think that a blend is made out of bin ends and leftovers. Certainly in the case of Happs Cabernets nothing could be further from the truth.
Current
Vintage 2001
The wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon at 53%, and malbec 37% with cabernet franc weighing in with 10%.
Cabernets is a warm and friendly red, deep in colour, majestically tannic in fruit and flavour. It is drinking superbly in late 1994 and has a long life ahead of it. Cabernets has none of the green astringent elements that mark lesser wines from these varieties.
Previous releases
Cabernets 2000 .Winestate magazine 4 stars.
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