Orlando St Hugo 1990 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

"Great food, Great wine, Great Company"
The cousin is back from Stockholm, and we're having him & his girlfriend over for dinner.
Nansia made Bruschetta as starter and vegetarian dinner - spinach & ricotta cheese lasagna. I cooked Bouillabaisse from scratch (mussels are a pain in the ass to clean!). The result, however - if I may say so myself - was worth the effort.
I decided to spoil ourselves and opened up a bottle of Orlando St Hugo 1990 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. It was freaking fantastic!
The year 1990 was considered an excellent year for Coonawarra Cabernet and the back label states that this wine offers excellent cellaring potential. We have to agree completely. I decanted this wine as suggested by the winemaker and there was a distinct sentiment build up. Once it opened up, we were hit with a load of berry and plum flavours, with layers of complexity after nineteen years of oak marrying with fruit. The tannins were very fine and soft, with great length. The wine evolved in the glass throughout the meal, crossing the flavour spectrum from berries, plums, blackcurrants, through to chocolates and blueberries. We enjoyed every drop of it. The resulting food and wine match was perfect.

This wine cost around AUD22.00 in 1994 when I bought it. Today, at the famous Beppi's at East Sydney, this bottle is listed for AUD400. But you can get the current vintage (2004) for about AUD45/bottle retail, and if you wait patiently, you may experience similar rewards.