What has Happened in Coonwarra?

[Mahmoud Ali]

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book has been published for the past 30 years. I just noticed that the most recent 2015 edition seems to have severely downgraded some of the traditional Coonawarra wineries. Wineries are given star ratings:

★ = plain, everyday quality,
★★ = above average,
★★★ = well known, highly rated,
★★★★ = grand, prestigious, expensive.

I took a look at an old edition from 15 years ago and noticed that while Zema Estate had a ★★→★★★ rating, meaning "above average" to "well known/highly rated", the current edition rates it only ★, meaning "plain, every day quality."

Bowen was rated ★★★, Rymill was ★★, Rouge Homme was ★★, and Redman was ★→★★. Now they don't even rate a mention in the 2015 edition. Only Wynn's has held the fort, going from ★★★ in the 2000 edition to ★★★★ in the current edition.

What has happened to Coonawarra - is it the quality or marketing?

Mahmoud.

[n4sir]

In a word... marketing.

Early vintages and drought through SA after 2012 has resulted in lighter, pretty, but ultimately early maturing wines, Coonawarra no more and no less than anywhere else. Why Hugh Johnson has singled out Coonawarra out (ex-Wynns) beats the shit out of me?

My 2c,
Ian

[paulf]

I think there has been a lot of change in that time in the region. My first visit to the region was in the late 90s and the most recent of about 5 visits was about 3 years ago. Other makers now have a big enough track record to garner some attention, where perhaps they didn't in 2000. Some wines lost their way a bit in that time too.
Rouge Homme exists as a brand now and I don't think it's owners have looked after it - the old winery has now become DeGeorgio winery.
Personally, I've found Zema and Rymill to be a bit up and down over the last decade and a half and Redman has been consistent without ever hitting really high notes.
Of those you have mentioned I think Bowen is probably the one that is hard done by as I think they have been fairly consistent and high quality over that time.
Wynns have gone from strength to strength (one of the brands Treasury might have actually improved) in that time.

Mostly I've been buying from Balnaves, Majella, Leconfield and Penley.
Yalumba has done some good work with the 'Menzies', and the cheaper 'Cigar'. The Lindemans Coonawarra Trio seem to have emerged from a bit of a hole they were in. There have been some excellent Petaluma releases over that duration as well.

In short, I think it is a bit of a natural evolution. I think if you picked any region that has been around for a while, you will find brands whose star has faded while newer producers have emerged to take their place - The Barossa may be the best example of this, but I even think it is true of regions like the Mornington Peninsula that aren't all that old.

I'll be interested to hear what others have to say here too.

[swirler]

I think Coonawarra has been left behind by Margaret River and other regions. Apart from Wynns, Balnaves and maybe Majella, I think most wineries there are pretty ho-hum and behind the times. Where is the innovation that is happening in places like McLaren Vale, Yarra Valley, etc.? It's almost a sea of Bordeaux varieties (mainly cabernet) plus the ubiquitous shiraz. Hardly any new names. Little decent white wine. Not much experimentation. Hollick, maybe.

Coonawarra's Achilles heel is its location, but there again, Great Southern isn't doing badly and even Margaret River is hardly ideally placed.

Pipers is a great village eatery, though!


Paul, I think there's plenty of interesting things happening in Barossa and Mornington. There are dozens of young winemakers in the Barossa trying new stuff. And Mornington is a very young region. Many of the big players haven't been going for more than a couple of decades and are still learning.

[Ian S]

Always worth a look at the credits in the pocket guide. By necessity it is a collaborative effort, and sometimes the specialists change, bringing a new order with them. Might be the case here? For reference, in 2003 it was Halliday, in 2011 Mattinson.

[phillisc]

I actually don't mind outsiders from far far away as Mr Johnson casting wildly inaccurate aspersions of the Coonawarra region, but agree there are many other factors in this region which are unique, probably to no other area in Australia. (That said, for a somewhat Coonawarra obsessive like myself, not all is bad).
Location, half way between Melbourne and Adelaide, does not see the volume of punters, if you make the effort to go to WA you will certainly head to MR and GS
The elephant in the room, TWE. I cannot think of any other region in Australia where one company has so much influence and presence (Pennies, Wynns, RH, Mildara, Lindies, Wolfie), mis-management and bastardisation of brands. Here too, companies like Yalumba not having a presence anymore and the on selling of an icon...Brands has not helped either, nor the likes of Petaluma not having a shop front.

Wynns or nothing, provocative perhaps, but this winery is both a bastion and a legacy for the region, of course depends on your point of view. IMHO it would be stunning for the region if it broke away from TWE

Others such as Parker, Katnook, Balnaves, Rymill, Majella , Bowen, Zema, Redman and Hollick have lived in the shadows a bit, but are all doing good things.
It will take time for the newcomers like Bellweather to get a foot hold, but think where Coonawarra does best is the smaller independent makers (even though I have a lot of Wynns, like many others).
I don't really buy the fact that its Cabernet or nothing...its Coonawarra, who goes to Reims or Alsace for only one wine...everybody!

Coonawarra is a place where I always need a few days, a place unlike the Barossa where I can be in and out in half a day after going to 3-4 CDs.

My 2c too
Cheers
Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Ian, perhaps I overstepped the mark, it's not that Hugh Johnson is "picking" on Coonawarra, just that I happened to look up Zema in the 2015 edition and was surprised to find that it only rated one star, and wondered what an older edition had rated it. From there it wasn't a big leap to look up other Coonawarra wineries. I did not look up ratings for wineries from other regions in Australia. In any case, the comments here made me realize that I had overlooked a few obvious ones.

Balnaves: from no mention, to ★★★,
Brand: from ★★→★★★, to ★★,
Hollick: from ★★, to ★,
Katnook: from ★★★, to ★★★,
Leconfield: from ★★→★★★, to no mention,
Majella: from no mention, to ★★★,
Parker: from ★★★, to no mention,
Penley: from ★★★, to ★.

Newcomers to the world of wine, referring to the guide, will likely gravitate to Katnook, Majella, and Wynns.

Ian S. (the one from Norwich) had me checking the credits and sure enough, like in 2011, the 2015 lists Campbell Mattinson in the acknowledgement section.

Mahmoud.

[mjs]

Geez, I'm in the middle of a Coonawarra thread on another forum, now I have to get back here to contribute!!

[mjs]

As some of you will know, I am a rusted on Coonawarra-phile. That doesn't mean it hasn't been interesting to see the ups and downs over the last decade or so, given that I have been going there for five decades. There have been ownership changes big and small, some have gone up some have gone down, I don't think there's anything unusual in that. perhaps there's an element of Coonawarra not changing that much, as Craig says its miles from anywhere, not an hour from Adelaide. Yes, there's heaps of things happening in Barossa and McLaren Vale, I have been there many times in the last few years. Coonawarra changes more slowly and the distance means that its not as attractive for that quick grab, that video clip, that hip article. On the flip side, it means that Coonawarra continues to do what it does best and that's make great red wines amongst other things. perhaps there's a sense of getting bored with Coonawarra, the instant gratification generation nowadays wanting another hit after getting bored with little movement in the last five seconds. Perhaps MR is more the flavour of the month for cabernet based wine atm, doesn't mean the wines are better or worse.

Whether Johnson rates Coonawarra highly or not, it is indisputable that there have been some extraordinary wines coming out of Coonawarra in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Let me give you a summary of my views of makers in Coonawarra over the last ten years (apologies if I have missed one or two):

Wynns: The biggest and arguably the best in terms of output and reputation. For example, Black Label is the most cellared wine in Australia. Wynn have definitely lifted their game in the last few years through viticulture practices and winemaking. Massive holdings in Coonawarra. Sue Hodder, Alan Jenkins and Sarah Pigeon are doing great things. 2010 and 2012 wines are exceptional. Rating has improved and is very high.
Rouge Homme: Gone as a reputable label in Coonawarra, now trashed by TWE to commercial stuff from Padthaway etc. No rating to speak of.
Petaluma: Reasonable reputation but no CD, so not really "part" of Coonawarra
Yalumba: Have the Menzies and the Cigar, but winemaking by remote control. CD has closed, not really a significant Coonawarra player. Perhaps maintaining a good rating
St Mary's: 15km west of main drag on a strip of terra rossa. Very average rating imo.
Lindemans: Wtf happened to their rieslings?? The Trio fell into a bit of a hole for a while but recent vintages have been excellent. No CD now though, so struggling with profile. Rating maintained.
Bowen Estate: Doug and family are forty year veterans of Coonawarra. Have been going through their own program of vineyard revitalisation, 2012 wines are excellent. Recently did a 40 year retrospective, had some excellent wines. Have maintained their rating, possibly even improving since early noughties imo.
St Hugo: remnants of Orlando label, still going ok, but no local presence at all. Limited but solid rating
Parker: Solid if not spectacular in some cases. Block 95 is excellent. Maintained a reasonable rating.
Raidis Estate: Relative newcomer, a work in progress imo, but promising.
Patrick Wines: Over rated imo
Blok Wines: Quirky family owned winery in southern Coonawarra. Only release wines with some age. Ok, but not spectacular
Hollick: Lost their way in my opinion.Winemaker, family and ownership issues, now owned by Chinese. Was always good but never set the place on fire. Barely maintained their rating imo.
Balnaves: been going for just over 25yrs, making some excellent wines. The Tally is a superb example of Coonawarra cabernet which rewards cellaring for ten years. Very good rating.
Leconfield: Solid Coonawarra producer, 2010, 2012, 2013 reds all good, other varietals as well. Had many good vintages over the years. Solid middle rating
Highbank: don't know enough about Highbank
Banks Thargo: Another quirky family vineyard business. Wines ok but nothing special
Katnook; Owned by Pernod Ricard, who have put more resources into Katnook. a range of very good wines, Wayne Stebhens is still doing good stuff here. rating slightly improved.
Punters Corner: gawn
Majella: The Prof and his team have been doing great things here. The cabernet is excellent and the Malleea (cab shiraz) is sublime. Rating improved
Jack Estate: New winery in the old Mildara premises. Some promising wines, particularly in their Mythology series. Work in progress and rating improving
Mildara: Vineyards but no other presence. White label cabernet still made. All those great blends from the 70's and 80's now lost. Very low profile, but cab is very good and very good value. Average rating
Zema Estate: Have done some good stuff, particularly the Family Selection labels, but don't seem to be going anywhere atm. Average rating
DiGiorgio: Family business in the old Rouge Homme CD. Ok wines but nothing spectacular. Average rating
Brands Laira: Old family business sold off to McWilliams now in hands of Casella. Still doing good things, e.g. Stentiford and 171, perhaps just maintaining a good rating
Redmans: A very old favourite of mine, but fell in a huge hole in the nineties and noughties for me. Have bounced back though. Almost retrieved a very good rating
Bellwether: Sue Bell's winery and CD in north Coonawarra. Quirky, making a range of wines, not just Coonawarra. Work in progress, not pushing my buttons yet
Penley Estate: Named from PENfolds and TolLEY family names. Average wines imo and an average rating, doesn't seem to be going anywhere
Rymill: Solid maker in north Coonawarra, big range of wines, maintaining an average to good rating
Kidman: Way north Coonawarra, well known family name. Wines ok, but nothing spectacular. Average rating.

So, what does all that mean? For me there are some great wines coming out of Coonawarra as evidenced by a masterclass tasting there last October. Do the wines suffer from being out of fashion? Maybe. Is quality less, the same or better? Well on average I think it's better. Some great recent examples, Wynns BL and JR Cabernet from 2010 and 2012, Childs from 2012, Balnaves 2010 The Tally, Bowen Estate 2012 Cabernet, the 2012 Lindemann Trio, 2010 Majella Malleea, Redman 2008 The Redman, Jack Estate 2012 Mythology Cabernet, Katnook 2008 Odyssey, Leconfield 2013 Cabernets, Brands Laira 2010 171 Cabernet. Still pretty strong imo and if others have differing views, then I'm ok with that, perhaps a chance to keep a good thing under wraps.

So, to answer the OP, it's not the quality, perhaps Coonawarra is just not a sexy as other areas in terms of new interesting things. Plus the fact that its just not possible to have a vibrant food and wine thing, there's just not the traffic. You need to be hard core into wine to go to Coonawarra!!

[paulf]

That's a pretty good summary I reckon mjs, although I think I have liked the Penley wines a little more than you have. The only ones that I can remember that you didn't mention are Koonara and Reschke although there are probably others.

St Mary's: 15km west of main drag on a strip of terra rossa. Very average rating imo.

Worth pointing out that this is no longer officially part of the Coonawarra region. If you go to cellar door there you'll hear all about it as I think they are still pretty bitter.
That raises another point - the Coonawarra region has become geographically smaller in the time frame we are talking about, and it really isn't a very big region. I'm not long back from Margaret RIver and it is way bigger, both geographically and in terms of the number of wineries there.

Punters Corner: gawn

- Sold to Coles I believe. Does that mean the cellar door has closed down? Is Pete Bissell still making their wines?

[phillisc]

Malcolm what a reply!
I have only been going to coonawarra for 35 years
Yes we are pretty rusted on, there is just something about the place that no other region in Australia does for me.
Cheers
Craig

[mjs]

That's a pretty good summary I reckon mjs, although I think I have liked the Penley wines a little more than you have. The only ones that I can remember that you didn't mention are Koonara and Reschke although there are probably others.

St Mary's: 15km west of main drag on a strip of terra rossa. Very average rating imo.

Worth pointing out that this is no longer officially part of the Coonawarra region. If you go to cellar door there you'll hear all about it as I think they are still pretty bitter.
That raises another point - the Coonawarra region has become geographically smaller in the time frame we are talking about, and it really isn't a very big region. I'm not long back from Margaret RIver and it is way bigger, both geographically and in terms of the number of wineries there.

Punters Corner: gawn

- Sold to Coles I believe. Does that mean the cellar door has closed down? Is Pete Bissell still making their wines?

Koonara operate out of a ship front in Penola, wines are ok but only an average rating from me.
Reschke: have no CD wines are somewhat elusive, don't really know much more although probably average rating

Yes, St Mary's is way off the Coonawarra strip, albeit that they claim they are on terra rossa, strips of which are not uncommon on the ancient dune system in the region. Being off the beaten track, they struggle for passing trade, but their wines are only average imo. The "region" thing is very interesting, the romance of the red terra rossa! Who's on and who's off, can we dig up the Riddoch Highway to use that strip of Terra rossa . Interesting to note that the terra rossa is not always red. In the Wynns V&A vineyards you can see brown sandy loamy "terra rossa. If you go up the tower at Balnaves with Pete Bissell and his map he will passionately point out the geographical and topographical variations in the area.

Not sure exactly what the status of Punters Corner is. The CD closed some time ago, haven't seen any of their wines. It was really a business venture that worked well for a while, Jimmy Watson etc, maybe they wanted to do something else. Good strategy to turn a big business into a small business, buy a winery . Balnaves must still have some relationship with the property as they have tasting functions occasionally in the Tally Room at Punters.

In the scheme of things, Connawarra is quite small, some 25 or so CDs, Barossa has about 80 or so and more than 150 wineries. It's basically still a farming/agricultural area and has that feel about it. More power to it.

[phillisc]

Malcolm, yes your last comment is a reinforcement of my thoughts of the region.

Ahh Coonawarra, drive to Naracoorte...lunch in my namesake the Kincraig hotel, then down to Penola, a stay for 2-3 days in a nice little BnB...dinner at pipers, lunch at Fodder, a few wineries, a few cold beers in Heywards front bar, maybe a trip to Yallum park, a few hail Mary's and a passmina for the missus

What could be better...even a ride on the wine rail trail...on a bike that is
Cheers
Craig

[mjs]

Craig,
I can see there's an echo in this conversation
Early start on the Friday from Melb, breakfast at the greasy cafe in Dunkeld, turn into the main street in Penola around lunchtime, maybe a few provisions at the IGA, check in. Couple of CDs before a counter attack at the Prince of Wales. Maybe some special tastings/tours on Sat, casual lunch at the Blok, then dinner at Pipers, picnic lunch on Sun at Balnaves on the lawn by the lake, couple more tastings and conversations with winemakers, bbq dinner back at the digs, with some byo, back to Melb Mon morning with lunch at the Royal Mail on the way. Doesn't get much better
cheers, Malcolm

[alexc92]

Great post Malcolm! I don't drink as much wine from Coonawarra as I'd like. Only really Majella, Wynns and Balnaves.

[Chris H]

Doesn't get much better

Try Beaune

[mjs]

Chris,

Perhaps need to qualify in terms of the local context of a weekend away from Melbourne, Beaune or anywhere else is less easy to achieve

Haven't been to Burgundy, but have spent serious time in Bordeaux (in-keeping with the Coonawarra theme)

cheers, Malcolm

[dave vino]

Fantastic post Malcolm. Couple of questions if I may...

1. Balnaves, is the quality consistent throughout the range? Always see the CM and Blend going for good prices and the std CabSav but have never really given them a go. (sort of watching the footy type wines)

2. Same with Majella, I remember being really impressed when I visited the CD and grabbed some of the Malleea but have never really sought out any more since. (apart from their sparkling red)

Both seem to feature on the secondary market.

[paulf]

Fantastic post Malcolm. Couple of questions if I may...

1. Balnaves, is the quality consistent throughout the range? Always see the CM and Blend going for good prices and the std CabSav but have never really given them a go. (sort of watching the footy type wines)

2. Same with Majella, I remember being really impressed when I visited the CD and grabbed some of the Malleea but have never really sought out any more since. (apart from their sparkling red)

Both seem to feature on the secondary market.

I'm sure Malcolm will have an opinion, but I thought I'd offer mine as well.

The other cabernet based wines at Balnaves can be excellent. The Blend often offers one of the best QPRs in Coonawarra I reckon. I'm a little less excited on the Cabernet- Merlot but it also has its moments. The standard Cabernet can be superb and it ages well. It doesn't have quite the richness and heavy oak that the Tally does, but I often has better balance as a younger wine. I'm not buying Balnaves cabs to drink young though, as I like how they turn out with a bit of age.

Majella is also very solid. I'm not big on their shiraz (or much Coonawarra shiraz for that matter) but I like the standard cabernet very much and that is the one I usually buy. I find it quite acid forward, and it can be pretty minty but they age well. The musician which is their entry level cabernet is often well regarded, although for me personally I've never found it more than decent. I'd take the Blend over it given the choice

[mjs]

Paulf, I think your notes are pretty consistent with my views. I agree that the Balnaves Blend is absolutely high on the QPR scale. Great value. Again, not as excited about the Cab Merlot as the straight Cabs, the "standard" level and "The Tally". Both of these really shine after some years age. Try a ten year old The Tally and you will see what I mean, the 04' for example. (ok, I know that's 12 yo haha). Also love their sparkling cabernet

The Majella cab and the Malleea cab shiraz are both excellent imo, again benefitting from some age. Have done a couple of ten year verticals of the cab, very interesting, some years better than others a you would expect, but reasonably consistent quality. The Musician is sometimes available for a song at CD (~$10/b) so pretty good value although I'm not a huge fan.

Both the Balnaves and Majella cabs are very reasonably priced. The Tally and the Malleea are a bit more exxy. Pete Bissell at Balnaves is just such a passionate winemaker who has an intimate understanding of the Coonawarra terroir as are/do the Prof and his team at Majella.

[dave vino]

Thanks for the tips guys. I dug about and found comparably aged vintages of the Balnaves pair, a 2013 in the Blend and a 2008 for the Cab Sav.

2013 Balnaves The Blend – This is a Merlot dominant wine (just over CabSav). Sweeter and more confected nose, red liquorice, raspberry, redcurrant, touch of plum. Soft on the palate, smoother/silkier, bit of grip, shorter length.

2008 Balnaves Cab Sav – Dark and impenetrable, touch of menthol, liquorice, dark cherry, the fruit is richer on the nose, lots of grip, dusty tannins, around the gums and cheeks. Oak is more prominent. Blackberry notes on the palate and a nice acidity, with a medium length. Given another 5-10 years I’d really rate this. A lot closer to the Tally than I was expecting, missing that extra refinement and balance.

I'd buy both again. The CabSav I'll be hunting down at Auctions with a bit more age on them to see how they hold up.

IMG_0183.JPG

[Michael McNally]

Just picked up some 99 Balnaves Cabernet at Auction. Very good wine, particularly for the price.

On the topic overall, agree with many comments. Some observations (disclaimer - never been to the place but I have been to the Roadshow every year without fail for more than a decade):

Balnaves: Consistently excellent wines. Buying a bit on the secondary market and quite impressed by how they age.
Bowen Estate: I have never been wowed by their wines, not sure why.
Brands Laira: Another MEGA range with a million different wines, so there will always be one or two to like, but there are always new labels and there isn’t a single consistent quality wine that is good VFM though the lesser labels often punch above their weight.
Hollick: Usually have a solid range and with so many wines there is usually one or two that seem good, particularly at the VFM end.
Katnook: Similar to Hollick in the massive range so there must be a wine or three to like. Slightly better quality across the board however. Wayne is always good to talk to at the Roadshow and honest about his wines.
Leconfield: Underrated IMO. Merlot is consistently one of the best at the Roadshow. Canernets and Cab Merlot are excellent VFM most years.
Lindemans: Agree the recent Trio vintages have been excellent.
Majella: Have been buying the cabernet since 2004. Wish I could afford more of the Malleea. Favourite winery of the region.
Parker: Consistently good lesser label in the Terra Rossa series.
Penley Estate: I think the wines are better than average and the quality of the better labels is quite high though VFM is questionable.
Petaluma: I disagree that they are “not really ‘part’ of Coonawarra”, with their “Coonawarra” blend has history and is consistently an excellent wine.
Raidis Estate: Agree they are a work in progress and promising, particularly the Merlot.
Redmans: Can’t get past the corks.
Reschke: Decent range but the wines are a little light-bodied for me.
Rymill: Another big range of wines but I have never seen a particularly consistent label.
Wynns: Have been buying since I started collecting. Agree that quality has improved over the past 6-7 years, but the prices of the JR and Michael are too high.
Zema Estate: Very hit and miss. Usually a good wine or two in the range, but the Family Selection are often poor VFM and the regular range a bit patchy. Not sue there is progress here.

Love Coonawarra!!

Michael

[cuttlefish]

I think that '13 The Blend is a Merlot dominant blend and possibly a touch weaker than a few previous vintages. Still good QPR.
Peter Bissell told me in conversation a few years back he's really into tannins and structure in his reds. I was already on-board, but nice to hear his philosophy. I can dig it.

[mjs]

Don't think I've met anyone who has a better knowledge of wine chemistry than Pete

[Cloth Ears]

Bundalong: So far running at 6 for 6 (2 Shiraz and 4 CabSauv). Hopefully the 2014's are as good as the 2012's. No cellar door, but with only two wines...
Parker: Very consistent at producing a good wine at great price point.
Patrick: Underrated imo. But only because I'd never heard of them. Found them to some unique approaches to being in the Coonawarra and also Wrattonbully. I like their Rieslings and blends.

[Mark Carrington]

The current ratings seem a fair reflection, IMO.

[mjs]

The current ratings seem a fair reflection, IMO.

Care to expand on the basis of your view?

[Bobthebuilder]

Thanks for the tips guys. I dug about and found comparably aged vintages of the Balnaves pair, a 2013 in the Blend and a 2008 for the Cab Sav.

2013 Balnaves The Blend – This is a Merlot dominant wine (just over CabSav). Sweeter and more confected nose, red liquorice, raspberry, redcurrant, touch of plum. Soft on the palate, smoother/silkier, bit of grip, shorter length.

2008 Balnaves Cab Sav – Dark and impenetrable, touch of menthol, liquorice, dark cherry, the fruit is richer on the nose, lots of grip, dusty tannins, around the gums and cheeks. Oak is more prominent. Blackberry notes on the palate and a nice acidity, with a medium length. Given another 5-10 years I’d really rate this. A lot closer to the Tally than I was expecting, missing that extra refinement and balance.

I'd buy both again. The CabSav I'll be hunting down at Auctions with a bit more age on them to see how they hold up.

IMG_0183.JPG

Hey Dave, I have a 2004 balnaves cab sav in the cave, will bring for tomorrow night