Coonawarra Cabernet Celebration

[mjs]

Heading over to Coonawarra for the weekend (via some crayfish at Robe first) for the annual Cabernet Celebration. There are quite a few events organised including some significant tastings. Anyone forumites going? See here for program

http://www.coonawarra.org/uploaded_files/document_uploads/ccc14-program.pdf

[paulf]

I'm not going this year but I went two years ago and had a fun weekend.
I hope you are booked in to Pipers for dinner on one of the nights. The Balnaves breakfast was fun, and it is worth checking out Majella as the opportunity to taste 10 consecutive vintages of their Cabernet is a good one

[mjs]

Yes, booked into Pipers. Will probably try the Majella tasting, but have a couple of other serious tastings lined up as well. Lots of things to enjoy!

[Teebs]

Seriously jealous....

[mjs]

Crayfish in Robe tonight was very good

Back to Coonawarra tomorrow

[Sigmamupi]

Crayfish in Robe tonight was very good

Back to Coonawarra tomorrow

If you don't mind me asking, where did you dine and was it fresh cray or frozen from last season? I was there late October last year and unfortunately the season hadn't opened. Have to go again hence the question.

[Chuck]

I thought the rule was if the month had an r in it the season was open. Hence closed May, June, July, August are closed months. Rest are open. I could be wrong. It seems most crays are shipped to Asia now. Not so long ago it was poor man's food. Not now unfortunately with the local retail price at $100 per kg. How much was it at Robe?

[mjs]

I think the crayfish season starts at the start of Oct, although I did use to think it was months with an "r" as well. Might be oysters perhaps.

Anyway, crays were fresh, but $95/kg, so not cheap. Only place that it seemed they were available was Sky Seafoods.

http://www.skyseafoods.com.au

Still, we had been planning this for a while and bit the bullet for 2 1/2 kgs worth between four of us. Went down very nicely with a Clover Hill fizz, an Orlando St Hilary Padthway Chardonnay, and a Jim Barry Watervale Riesling (as well as some other things later)!!

Coonawarra Cabernet Celebration Fri/Sat/Sun was excellent as well with some serious tastings, great food and some casual entertainment.

[mjs]

Oh, we dined al fresco in the bbq area of our motel, with Don the owner at Harbour View Motel kindly arranging the crays on a nice platter for us. Pure unadulterated gluttony!

[phillisc]

Malcolm, can you shed a bit of light on the V&A walk and for that matter the 5 wineries who do the walking trail (thats if you did it of course).
I take it there was plenty on re the cabernet celebration weekend? Seems like you did a number of tastings, were these on offer for everyone, or did you phone ahead?

Cheers
Craig

[mjs]

Craig,

Did the retrospective tasting on Friday, the Masterclass tasting on Saturday and the V&A Lane vineyard walk/tasting on Sun as well as a few other CDs. Plus a Five Winemaker dinner at Pipers on Sat night (Bowen, Balnaves, Katnook, Leconfield, Majella) Didn't do the five winery walkabout on Sun (Zema, DiGorgio, Wynns, Brands, Redman) Had to book all of these, some a little exxy (masterclass $150pp).

The retrospective tasting was an informal affair hosted at Hollick in their barrel room. Wineries and winemakers showing latest cabernet as well as material from 2004 or older. Balnaves, Bowen, Brands, Hollick, Katnook, Majella, Rymill, Wynns, Zema. Didn't really take any notes, just enjoyed it. Probably about 40ppl there, so quite convivial. Enjoyed all of the older wines, particularly The Tally, 06 Black Label from magnum, Majella, 99 Brands cab, Katnook Odyssey, I could go on.

The Masterclass was twelve wines from Coonawarra, Sth Africa, Argentina and Chile, billed as Stars of the South. All 2010-2012 vintage. Very interesting. I will post some more notes later tonight.

V&A lane walkabout was also very interesting, looking at vines, soil types, (surprisingly quite variable), elevation (Coonawarra is reasonably flat but not entirely). Tasted the 09, 10, 12 Shiraz and Cab Shiraz. 10s were the standout for me, but very nice wines to drink now which will also get better with age. Sarah Pidgeon makes these wines and she, Allen Jenkins (Wynns viticulturalist) and Sue Hodder managed proceedings. Allen was great in the vineyard.

Vertical tastings at Hollick and Majella, cork vs screw cap tasting at Redmans, other tastings at Rymill, Blok and Patricks rounded it out with a bit of food and entertainment at Brands and Rymill.

[mjs]

Stars of the South Masterclass

Attended this very enjoyable tasting in the John Riddoch room at Wynns as part of the Coonawarra Cabernet celebration weekend. It was designed to showcase twelve cabernets from recent vintages from various areas in the southern hemisphere, including Coonawarra, NZ, South Africa, Chile and Argentina. There were about 45 attendees and the tasting was led by a panel consisting of Pete Bissell, winemaker at Balnaves and a few other places, Jane Thomson, founder and managing director of the Fabulous Ladies Wine Society, and Marc van Halderen, a South African who is a winemaker at Yalumba. All of the wines were tasted blind. My notes for what they are worth follow and I have named the wines as we go in the order tasted. Marc van Halderen was very descriptive and informative in his notes (far more descriptive than my offerings), although I have not managed to reproduce those here. I have commented on those wines that seemed liked by many or not, all of course decided before the wines were revealed.

2010 Vina Ventisquero Enclave (Chile)
medium deep purple red, attractive bouquet, red berries, cassis, some cedar notes, maybe some tomato leaf and savoury characters as well, tannins, a little austere.
Pete Bissell picked this as Chilean. Interestingly, John Duval is a consultant to this winery

2011 Craggy Range The Quarry (NZ)
deep purple, black red fruits on the bouquet, fresh mouth feel, some oak notes but restrained, pretty and poised
Pete Bissell picked this as Kiwi, so he was on a roll!

2010 Lindemans St George (Coonawarra)
dense purple red, black fruits on the nose, perhaps a little cherry, beautiful fruit in the mouth, generous, probably Coonawarra
Many including myself liked this

2010 Le Riche (Sth Africa)
dense crimson purple, some dustiness, cedar, fine tannins red black fruits.

2012 Brands Laira One Seven One (Coonawarra)
bright purple rim, dense, cedar. thin in the mouth, little green perhaps, more generous later, undoubtedly Coonawarra, I thought it was the Alex or the Tally
Many liked this and although there were some ?? about greenness,was a very well made wine

2010 Yalumba The Menzies (Coonawarra)
dense red purple, plummy red fruit bouquet, some dustiness, generous mouthfeel softish finish
Not a lot of votes for this and Marc van Halderen was a little critical of this wine, and when revealed was perhaps wary of the five hour drive home with other staff! Certainly was a little disappointing for me as I keep wanting to like this label, thought it would show better.

2010 Wynns Alex 88 (Coonawarra)
dense red purple, slight minty nose, cassis, full fruit, tannins not so prominent, maybe violets and blackcurrants, great structure, well made, probably Coonawarra
Many liked this wine

2012 Bowen Estate (Coonawarra)
purple rim, dense, voluptuous red black fruit nose, v attractive, some cedar notes, little bit confected on the end palate, but very attractive wine

2010 Balnaves The Tally (Coonawarra)
broader red purple rim, dense, confection, some cedar, fr oak influences, little bit out of balance at the moment, presented older that what it was.
I was surprised to see this as The Tally as I thought that previous examples of this wine were tighter and still very very youthful. Mixed response to this by the group, although on revisiting this later, it showed better.

2010 de Trafford (Stellenbosch, Sth Africa)
grey purple rim, dense, closed nose, bright red fruit, some tannins evident, bit out of balance at the moment for me

2011 Vina Los Vascos Le Dix de las Vascos (Chile)
Ch Lafitte involved in this label
dense purple black, restrained bouquet, some cedar, regal, blue black fruits, generous, very well made wine
I liked this a lot as did a number of others

2011 Trapiche Gran Medalla (Mendoza, Argentina)
dense purple, bit gamey, some cedar, less gamey after a short while, beautiful black fruits, full mouthfeel, very well made wine

Overall went for a bit over two hours, with lots of good discussion. Pete Bissell as usual was a source of all sorts of facts and figures. The foreigners were all top label wines and it was clear that the Coonawarra wines showed extremely well. None of the wines were duds, There was a typicity about the Coonawarra wines, which probably didn't surprise me that much. The Bowen, St George, Laira, Wynns were all excellent. Of the foreigners, I liked the Le Dix the most. Of course it would be very interesting to try them all again in five and ten years time!