2021 Shay’s Flat Cabernet Sauvignon, Pyrenees, Joshua Cooper Wines
£49.00
“Joshua Cooper is a producer whose wines I buy in my spare time and drink when I’m not working. The wines are detailed and interesting, and that’s something I really value, along with distinction, specificity, place and identity. So, the 2021 Shay’s Flat Cabernet Sauvignon leads with a leafy, cassis-riddled nose, which is brambly and spiced, with lotus leaf/humidor (to quote a friend), star anise, mountain herbs, coal dust, salted licorice, ash/embers and blackberries. In the mouth, the tannins are svelte and streamlined—they shape the fruit but it’s an invisible caress—and their finesse is like finely milled powder. While tasting, the rockiness of the place evokes earth and minerals in the mind. The cool part about this wine is its austerity of line and structure: it packs flavor and complexity and freshness into a fine-boned package. It’s awesome. Thrilling, actually.”