Anyone Tried Wynn's Coonawara Cabernet Sauvignon 2003?

[niloc]

This is being sold in the States at the pretty reasonable price of US$12/bottle/case. I purchased a case of the 2001 forthe ridculous sum of $9/bottle and have been very pleased -- astounding purity and breed for a pittance. Is the 2003 in the same (or higher?) category?

Colin

[Kieran]

The 2003 is reasonable at these prices, but the 2004 seems to be getting the rave reviews.

Kieran

[n4sir]

I like the 2003 a lot more than the 2001 which I tried again last month - the oak's sticking out and the whole thing looks a tad clumsy. It's not a bad wine, but not a great one for Wynns. The 2003 is great drinking now - it's a relatively forward and elegant style, more medium-bodied compared to the classics, but still a great drink:

2003 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon $17: Dark to inky red with a hint of purple on the rim. My standout wine from the very beginning, ripe, pure cassis fruit accented with chocolate and tobacco, sweet and yet delicate and seductive. I would describe the palate as one for the purists, reserved, elegant mid-weight cassis fruit perfectly wrapped around a great structure and the best finish of the group, stunningly long and lingering.

The 2004 is something else again, back to the powerful but balanced old Wynns that we know and love. It begs to be cellared, and still it did pretty well in a blind tasting with a number of far more expensive wines:

2004 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon $17: Dark to inky red/purple. This was most exotic nose of all the wines, a powerful floral display with just a hint of sweet dark liquorice to add a bit of spice. The palate was just impressive, a dry, puckery entry followed by a flood of very ripe plum/cherry fruit laced with chocolate, the finish very good but not quite up there with my top three. While the 2003 already has a complexity and elegance I enjoy, this is more powerful with excellent cellaring potential - loyal followers have been waiting for this moment for years, finally Wynns are back!

I hope these help - you can look for more notes using the forum's search function. Just make sure you use the word "and" in between any descriptors (ie. "2003 and Wynns and Cabernet") and that will narrow down the number of hits.

Cheers,
Ian

[Gregoire]

And JO reckons that the 2005 is even better. So much so that he wants the price upped!

[Mark S]

what n4sir said.

$12 US/bottle is excellent pricing - the cheapest it's ever been in Australian dollars in Australia is $16/$17, and that price was rare! It's a very fine wine, better than the 2001.

BTW, the 2001 isn't bad at all, and US$9 is simply ludicrous. I envy you.

[Christo]

And JO reckons that the 2005 is even better. So much so that he wants the price upped!

what from $16.99 to $20?

c

[marsalla]

The 04 shiraz is a cracker as well, did very well in a comparative tasting pre christmas

[n4sir]

And JO reckons that the 2005 is even better. So much so that he wants the price upped!

what from $16.99 to $20?

c

I doubt there will be any significant price increases soon (although stranger things have happened).

Wynns has been the slowest to get back on their feet after the price slashing by Southcorp a few years ago. The well documented vine refurbishing sceme (another reason to subscribe to Campbell's fantastic website) hasn't helped either, and I expect 2004 was the first vintage to bear the fruits of these efforts.

I also think someone mentioned to me that Wynns are handling all the wine from the recent closure of the Mildara/Jamiesons Run Cellar Door too (like Rougue Homme a few years earlier), so I suspect storage space will be at a premium. It's in their best interest to keep the prices attractive and move as much stock as possible - while 2004 was a great year, it was also a big vintage, and they don't want to be stuck with a backlog of a number of vintages again because they upped the price too much/too quickly.

Cheers,
Ian

[Kieran]

And JO reckons that the 2005 is even better. So much so that he wants the price upped!

what from $16.99 to $20?

c

I doubt there will be any significant price increases soon (although stranger things have happened).

Wynns has been the slowest to get back on their feet after the price slashing by Southcorp a few years ago. The well documented vine refurbishing sceme (another reason to subscribe to Campbell's fantastic website) hasn't helped either, and I expect 2004 was the first vintage to bear the fruits of these efforts.

I also think someone mentioned to me that Wynns are handling all the wine from the recent closure of the Mildara/Jamiesons Run Cellar Door too (like Rougue Homme a few years earlier), so I suspect storage space will be at a premium. It's in their best interest to keep the prices attractive and move as much stock as possible - while 2004 was a great year, it was also a big vintage, and they don't want to be stuck with a backlog of a number of vintages again because they upped the price too much/too quickly.

Cheers,
Ian

Curious that for such a big vintage, the 04 Cab sold out so quickly in the last VC sale. The people on the floor seemed to think it was rare or something. I thought its production levels were more comparable to Coke.

Kieran

[n4sir]

Curious that for such a big vintage, the 04 Cab sold out so quickly in the last VC sale. The people on the floor seemed to think it was rare or something. I thought its production levels were more comparable to Coke.

Kieran

Wynns traditionally had a huge production run until the vineyard productivity started drying up after the 1998 vintage - I bet you didn't see many bottles of the 2002 around did you? (and that was with no John Riddoch or Michael either)

It was immediately after that vintage that the chainsaws & bulldozers came in. Volume not surprisingly remained relatively low, but there was just enough to make a John Riddoch & Michael (and Johnsons Block) in 2003, and if the Black Label's anything to go by, 2004 onwards looks promising.

I may have jumped the gun by saying that 2004 should have been a big year for Wynns (they are still probably in a recovery phase after the extensive vineyard work) but I heard form a few sources it was a huge year in Coonawarra for quantity as well as quality. I'd expect it would be just as good for them, plus there's the JR stock to manage, hence I'd guess they'd be at pretty full capacity.

As far as VC/big retailers go, Fosters may be getting even by supplying a limited amount of the 2004, and then pushing them to clear the backlog of 2001-2003. They also seem to have a preferential arrangement with Woolies/DM too, as they got hold of the 2004 well over a month before it was officially supposed to be released (according to the Cellar Door).

Cheers,
Ian

[Gary W]

Depending on vintage i am fairly sure black label is around 60,000 cases.
GW

[niloc]

These relpies were very useful. Since I don't really lack wine to drink, I think I'll wait until the2004 hits American shores.

Colin

[niloc]

These replies were very useful. Since I don't really lack wine to drink, I think I'll wait until the2004 hits American shores.

Colin

[n4sir]

And JO reckons that the 2005 is even better. So much so that he wants the price upped!

what from $16.99 to $20?

c

I doubt there will be any significant price increases soon (although stranger things have happened).

...they don't want to be stuck with a backlog of a number of vintages again because they upped the price too much/too quickly.

I may have spoken too soon...

I just got back from the shop over the road to pick up a six-pack of the 2004 with their 20% off sale. I was shocked to see the standard price is now $30.25/bottle!!! These are the same supermarket clowns who were selling it pre-release for $16.97/bottle less than three months ago - makes me wonder if anyone there has any clue at all? Sure it was being discounted way too much, but this price hike is a joke - some more Majella instead please...

Cheers,
Ian

[Red Bigot]

- makes me wonder if anyone there has any clue at all?

Have a read of "The Triumph of the Airheads and the Retreat from Commonsense" by Shelley Gare.

[GRB]

I bought a 6 pack of the 04 for $16 from one of the big chains a couple of days after a guy from the same chain, but different store tried to tell me that $20 was a great price as it is normally $30.

Don't know if it is the supermarkets or Fosters that is causing the pricing mayhem with this particular wine but it is pretty crazy with what they are doing.

Now just have to wait for Riddoch to be given away for $30

Glen

[Danny]

It might be time for me to have another taste of this.

When the 01 vintage was out I went through the Coonawarra and was seriously disappointed in the Wynns Cab Sauv... I mean SERIOUSLY disappointed. I walked away wondering what had happened to the winery!?

I've since been told that the wine maker was fired soon after (Malcolm Redman told me this last trip. can anyone confirm that?)

I've certainly been seeing much better responses than what I though of the early 00s.

[Red Bigot]

I've since been told that the wine maker was fired soon after (Malcolm Redman told me this last trip. can anyone confirm that?)

I think you may have been fed mis-information or mistook the circumstances. Sue Hodder has been there for a while, I believe she took over as chief winemaker (from Peter Douglas) about 98 and she's still there. Greg Clayfield (Lindemans) was dumped a while ago, I think he's at Zema now.