Description

NOTE: Paradise Rescued Cloud9 2018 is due to arrive in 2021. Order 6 bottles to get them at $54 per bottle.

Paradise Rescued is quite a story. An English-born, Australian resident who bought a holiday house in the village of Cardan, Bordeaux. Then bought a vineyard to make sure that the urban sprawl didn’t consume his piece of paradise. After that, he set about making the best wine that his tiny patch of vines could offer. Using organics and a small but passionate team the vision is all coming together.

2010 was their first commercial release. David feels like since then they have a better grip on what works on their sites and that from 2015 onwards, the quality has improved out of sight. Cabernet Franc was outstanding on the Right Bank in 2018 and Cloud9 is 100% Cabernet Franc. Get on this wine as I guarantee you it will be significantly more expensive when it lands in Australia.

Bordeaux

Situated near the Atlantic coast of France. The Gironde, Dordogne and Garonne rivers provide its shape. Cool conditions and frequent rainfall, including during harvest time, make Bordeaux quite a marginal region with vintages frequently ruined by rain or saved from the rain at the last-minute by timely sunshine.

Bordeaux Superieur

This appellation actually covers the same land area as Bordeaux AOC. It adds some stricter regulations about topics such as vine density, yields, ageing, and alcohol. It implies that it comes from a single parcel and often mature vines.

Cabernet Franc

Is actually one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon… along with Sauvignon Blanc (oh! The name makes sense now!).  It is most famous for being the third most important grape in quality Bordeaux but also excels in the Loire Valley (where it lived before it went to Bordeaux), especially Chinon and Saumur. The wines are bright red in colour, highlight aromatic with raspberries, rose petals, violets along with tobacco, cassis and some herbal elements. The best examples can live as long as any great wine.

2018

Quality Red Bordeaux in 2018 will be deeply coloured, aromatically complex, and opulent in the mouth. While it sounds like they will be ready to go from day one, most experts are predicting this is a vintage for long-term cellaring. Think 30 years or more!  It wasn’t the best start to the vintage so quality is not uniform. Look for Northern Medoc, Margaux, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion.