Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend Vertical Pack
Yarra Valley, VIC
Three top vintages of the impeccable flagship Cabernet blend from Mac Forbes.
$220.00$195.00
Out of Stock
About The Pack
Mac Forbes believes the Yarra Valley's best wine is, in fact, the Cabernet blend , rather than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.
He's been inspired by the likes of Mount Mary where he worked for many years, and this blend, named after Mac's father Hugh, is every bit the highly fragrant, medium-bodied and elegant style of Bordeaux blend the region is famous for.
Here you can taste three outstanding vintages of the Hugh Cabernet blend and get a glimpse at the way this excellent regional expression ages.
This is a Different Drop exclusive pack and only available in limited quantities.
2018 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend
A unique iteration of the Hugh, the 2018 Cabernets come from grey loam soils in Gruyere.
The cool wet winter, followed by a hot growing season has yielded a plusher fruit profile that makes this wine quite approachable in its youth, but will also age elegantly.
Reminiscent of classic old-world Cabernet, the 2018 Hugh sings with bright leafy aromatics, a silty tannin backbone and a savoury finish.
Read more about 2018 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend2016 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend
This Bordeaux blend is from Yarra Glen on a similarly aged block to that of the Gruyere site. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and is complimented by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
2016 was a year that tested the vine and tested us. Ripening was condensed in a manner we have not witnessed and freshness came and went in a blink. So with all our picking crews working overtime, not to mention the staff in the winery, we went to work and didn’t stop until the last grape was squeezed to barrel.
However, its becoming very exciting that we have sites that can and do cope with such an array of seasonal challenges.
Read more about 2016 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend2013 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Blend
The growing season of vintage 2013 started well with budburst for Chardonnay mid-September. This trend continued through spring with vines using stored moisture well into November. By December however, we were looking for moisture.
In addition to this, temperatures were considerably up in January having 14 days over 30oC and multiple peaks over 39oC. This was accompanied by just 3.6mm of recorded rainfall (effectively none). The trend continued into February with 17 days over 30oC combined with the bare minimum amount of rain.
The high temperatures and lack of water meant we saw early veraison and vines push their fruit to maturity very quickly, this resulted in one of the most compressed vintages of recent times.
Read more about 2013 Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet BlendCritic Reviews
2016 vintage: "Fragrant, tobacco and gentleman’s club lounge feel, redcurrant, strawberry, perhaps a bit of ripe tomato, cedar, vanilla and aniseed. Medium-bodied, light on its feet, juiciness to the fruit, supple tannin, a pleasing minty fragrance, clean acidity, and a fine length, a sweet orange tang in the aftertaste. Gentlemen (and ladies), grab your Claret, for the game is afoot. Wonderful, sophisticated wine." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2013 vintage: "Loved it from the first sniff, and arrived very quickly at the conclusion that we have a ‘classic’ on our hands here. Blackcurrant, violets, cedar, tobacco and truffle, something very rocky and minerally that’s hard to put into words, and maybe even some chocolate. Medium bodied, cool minerally acidity, dense packed sweet blackcurrant fruit, super fine tannin that coats the palate like Turkish coffee – silty and earthy – with precision and superb length. The finesse, poise, balance, whatever, is second to none." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can order in any combination you like. Make your perfect mixed pack!
Estimated Delivery Times for each postcode can be viewed here.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Warehouse Pickupis available from our Sydney warehouse in Ultimo, 2007. Just select Local Pickup at checkout. We are open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 02 8376 8775..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 02 8376 8775 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. Just an a warehouse/office. We occasionally do events however, so sign up to our newsletter or follow us on instagram to stay in the loop.
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
Sign up for the latest news & special offers
No spam, just the good stuff!