TN: AFWAC - Margaret River vs Coonawarra 22/5/09

[n4sir]

Late last month AFWAC (the Adelaide Fine Wine Appreciation Club) staged a tasting with a theme around the question of which was the better Cabernet region, Coonawarra or Margaret River? The wines were served in pairs (with one exception) and for a change in the order of youngest to oldest as follows:


2005 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (screwcap): Glowing, dark to inky red/purple, still looking like a new release. Sweet blueberries and dark coal, icing sugar/pie crust, some black olive and capsicum lurking in the background; sweet blueberry entry followed by an opulent but surprisingly elegant palate of blueberries/cola and a touch of olive backed by malty oak, the finish long and slightly powdery. It’s slightly warm and oaky at first but with breathing it pulls into shape, with more familiar capsicum/mineral and cassis appearing; I also thought it had more than a passing resemblance to the 2006 Penfolds Bin 707.

2005 Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River (screwcap): Inky red/black. The nose was pretty closed and simple but clean, letting out whiffs of blackcurrant and earth; the palate’s better, medium-weight and dusty, predominantly blackcurrants with a touch of chocolate and mineral, finishing grippy. A solid wine, but bland and lightweight compared to the Majella.


2004 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (screwcap): Medium to very dark crimson/purple. Rubber, sweet bubblegum and blackcurrant at first with a touch of dried herbs and toast, but instead of blowing off those stinky/rubbery characters intensify with breathing. Sweet/grippy entry with medium weight blackcurrant fruit, with some herbal and liquorice characters on the finish, but with breathing those unattractive rubbery characters creep in here too. There was a bit of discussion about what the fault was with this wine, whether it was brettanomyces, mercaptan or reductive/sulphur – whatever it was, it got progressively worse with breathing.

2004 Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River (screwcap): Medium to dark crimson. Closed at earthy first, but with breathing the nose reveals hints of thyme and violets; grippy/earthy entry followed by an equally grippy but sweet/plummy mid-palate, finishing very dry with grippy tannins and some cherry on the finish. A great example where the merlot is obvious in the mid-palate, and in contrast to the Katnook Estate improved greatly with breathing – it’s great now, but really still needs years to show its best.

2003 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Missing in action, hence the following wine was added to the previous flight...

2003 Sandalford Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River (cork): Impressive, medium to very dark red/purple colour. Unfortunately the colour was the best thing going for this wine, which opened up with lavender/moth balls, then camphor and cherry on the nose. The palate’s just as strange and OTT, spicy/sweet and plummy with a huge spike of acid and alcohol heat mid-palate, finishing short but hot, minty and slightly damp.


2001 Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon (cork): Medium to very dark red. Classic, regional nose with river stones/black jubes, dusty blackcurrants, dried herbs and a hint of chocolate; soft entry followed by an explosion of jubes and blackcurrants, a little leafy/green with some black coal and a long, grainy/powdery finish. This had a classic donut style profile and made for an interesting comparison to the Voyager Estate, which made excellent use of the merlot component to fill the mid-palate hole; a different style but equally enjoyable.

2001 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (cork): Medium to dark(ish) crimson/brick. Like the colour the other facets of the wine seem overdeveloped and unattractive, the nose full of bandaids/cloves and leather, the palate medium-weight, earthy/barnyard characters and drying out. Prematurely aged and full of brettanomyces, this was my least favourite wine of the night.


1999 Happs Three Hills Charles Andreas, Margaret River (cork): Medium to very dark red. Very sweet, perfumed and dusty nose, a touch inky too with stewed cherries/blackcurrants; the entry is also on the ripe side, stewed cherries leading to a tannic but rather simple palate with a very tannic, metallic finish.

1999 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (cork): Medium to inky crimson. Complex, oaky nose with banana/vanilla/cedar, capsicum, camphor, mulberry and a little tar, then spearmint, herbs and capsicum; soft but tarry entry with plenty of timber, but overall it's very smooth and weighty with sweet fruit, herbs and mint, and a stunningly long, silky finish. Outstanding wine that was deservedly voted overall WOTN.


1998 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River (cork): Medium to very dark red. The bouquet bounces between the attractive and otherwise, cloves/bandaids and freshly picked sage, a hint of barnyard and rubber, cedar, vegetal and cigar box characters. The medium-weight palate is more solid, herbal/smoky at first, then cassis, banana oak and dried herbs, finishing minty and slightly metallic; not as good as a bottle last year at the AGM which was voted overall WOTN, although it still had one fan.

1998 Jamieson’s Run Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (cork): Dark to inky crimson. Very herbal yet ripe nose with green liquorice and fireplace char/popcorn, peppermint and black cherry, a little ozone, oil and vanilla. The heavyweight palate’s just as earthy/oily with sweet cherries/plums and pepper, the excellent structure chalky and long with a mineraly/minty finish. Even more youthful and powerful than the 1999 Jacaranda Ridge, yet its rough edges stood out this time.


1982 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River (cork): Light, brick red. Very cool nose with dried chillies/green capsicum, ground paprika and a whiff of VA, becoming more vegetal with breathing; slightly smoky and jammy entry leading to an equally smoky mid-palate, finishing green/minty and tannic. I liked the wine, but I didn’t think it had the sheer beauty of the following…

1982 Lindemans St George Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (cork): Very light, brick red. A mature, attractive and complex bouquet of smoky/sweet leather, truffle, black tea and lavender; very soft entry followed by lovely, soft/leathery raspberries with coffee/tealeaves, finishing silky, very long and lingering. The wines of the ‘80s have always had a reputation of being green/vegetal, no doubt because of the 1980 Jimmy Watson Trophy winner, yet this wine while only 11.5% is fully ripe and a joy to taste.


Overall votes for WOTN:
1999 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - 5 votes (1st)
1982 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon - 3 votes (2nd)
2004 Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot - 2 votes (=3rd)
1982 Lindemans St George Cabernet Sauvignon - 2 votes (=3rd)
2005 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon - 2 votes (=3rd)
2001 Houghton Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon - 1 vote (=6th)
1998 Jamieson’s Run Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 1 vote (=6th)
1998 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon – 1 vote (=6th)


Cheers,
Ian

[monghead]

So I guess coonawarra?.....

Most votes for a single wine- 1999 Orlando Jac Ridge COONAWARRA
Most "best votes"- 10 coonawarra, 7 MR, thus COONAWARRA

And, looking at your breakdown for each bracket Ian, am I right in saying:
- 05 majella
- 04 Voyager
- 01 Houghton
- 99 Jac Ridge
- ?? tie for 98
- 82 Lindemans

Thus COONAWARRA again!

I might say though, no moss wood, cullen, or woodlands tasted.....
But yes, no Bin 707, Block 42 either...

Cheers,

Monghead.

[Wayno]

The 99 Jac Ridge is a great wine, agreed. Pleasingly I still have about a dozen of these stashed away - and an equal amount of 99 Lawsons too, which is also doing very well still.

[dlo]

I don't believe any hard and fast conclusions can be gleaned from such a tasting - just too many variables and from the look of Ian's notes too many of the wine's present were faulted with brettanomyces and one with what sounds like a distinct sulphide problem.

[tcross]

Thanks Ian for taking time to write and post the above - i enjoyed the read. It may very well inspire me to head to Coonawarra for their 'cellar dwellers' month in July...

Cheers

tc

[DJ]

Bin 707, Block 42

Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.

But I understand what you are saying, where is the John Riddoch, Tally, etc.

It is interesting to think what the consistent super premiums from Coonawarra have been over the last 20 years. Lindemans have lost some of their shine as they were lost in the Penfolds/southcorp/fosters mess. John Riddoch has had a few weak patches but is supposedly getting back on track.

Then you look at Cullen and Moss Wood - their consistent aim to be the best they can - a vote for the smaller operators?

[RogerPike]

Bin 707, Block 42

Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.

Sorry, but that is soooooooooooo funny.

[rooman]

Bin 707, Block 42

Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.

Sorry, but that is soooooooooooo funny.

I thought this was something my mother used to wear in the 70s.

[monghead]

Bin 707, Block 42

Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.

But I understand what you are saying, where is the John Riddoch, Tally, etc.

It is interesting to think what the consistent super premiums from Coonawarra have been over the last 20 years. Lindemans have lost some of their shine as they were lost in the Penfolds/southcorp/fosters mess. John Riddoch has had a few weak patches but is supposedly getting back on track.

Then you look at Cullen and Moss Wood - their consistent aim to be the best they can - a vote for the smaller operators?

Sorry..... You are right.

pedant, pendant....... coonawarra, SA.....

[DJ]

Bin 707, Block 42

Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.

Sorry, but that is soooooooooooo funny.

Bother my rotten typing

[jeremy]

DJ wrote

RogerPike wrote:
DJ wrote:
monghead wrote:
Bin 707, Block 42


Um isn't Block 42 in the Barossa? and Bin 707 is a multiregional blend, says he being a pendant.


Sorry, but that is soooooooooooo funny.

Bother my rotten typing

Ah, wonderful. Can you make a Freudian slip whilst typing

[n4sir]

So I guess coonawarra?.....

Most votes for a single wine- 1999 Orlando Jac Ridge COONAWARRA
Most "best votes"- 10 coonawarra, 7 MR, thus COONAWARRA

And, looking at your breakdown for each bracket Ian, am I right in saying:
- 05 majella
- 04 Voyager
- 01 Houghton
- 99 Jac Ridge
- ?? tie for 98
- 82 Lindemans

Thus COONAWARRA again!

Cheers,

Monghead.

Unfortunately we didn't do a best-by-flight vote, and it possibly would have made things a little more interesting. As for the breakdown for each bracket you're close, but I think the last would have been a tie between the 1982 St George & LEAS too. If the 2003 Wynns wasn't MIA it could have been the tie-breaker against the Sandalford...

The 2007 Woodlands was on the cards at one stage, but by the end we couldn't think of anything good enough from Coonawarra from the same vintage (that had been released at that stage) to match it. Likewise I think we all would have loved Cullen, John Riddoch, Balnaves The Tally, Hollick Ravenswood, and (the real) Moss Wood in there, but it turned out to be a difficult process trying to source and then match up wines to give each region a fair chance, and do all this within a fairly tight budget and time frame.

Cheers,
Ian