Wynns Black Label Cab 2015

[cuttlefish]

I think this is an amazing release, but what say you who have many, many previous releases ?

[WAwineguy]

$26.20 at DM. Haven't seen it at that price for a couple of years. But no rush - I'm sure they've got plenty

[phillisc]

Think you will find it sub $25 in some places... but that aside have tried it twice and it has great mouth feel balance and flavour.
Very good indeed....and a couple of cases in the cellar.
Cheers
Craig

[felixp21]

very nice release, approaching the quality of the 1986, 1990 and 1991.
Black Label took a long time to regain lost ground when John Riddoch and other various super-cuvee's were added to the profile, but the quality has steadily improved over the past decade, and now is not too far from the good old days pre-JR.
I have seen every vintage of Black Label, and would rate this in the top 15.

[WAwineguy]

$26.20 at DM. Haven't seen it at that price for a couple of years. But no rush - I'm sure they've got plenty

Make that $24.90, in sixes.

[tarija]

.
I have seen every vintage of Black Label, and would rate this in the top 15.

With all the hype from the critics, top 15 surely is damning with faint praise?

1991 was very good. The 2000s I have had seem a long way off the 91.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Have a few vintages in the cellar here in Canada but the last bottle I had was the 1997 which a few years ago was in a rather awkward stage, slightly dried out and without any real tertiary development. It also may have been compromised because it was over a decade old when I found it on sale for about $15, making it quite the bargain. Have kept a couple of the '97 to see if it does improve.

Mahmoud.

[phillisc]

Yep a lot of hype about this wine and yes over three decades has gone from an alcoholic ripe through to a green and thin to a more balanced restrained style.
I have a good run going back 40 years and apart from a couple of wines in the 80s, 85, and 89 were fairly ordinary last time I had them, and remember 92, and particularly 95 on release a being a green acidic weedy wine, and despite all the praise for the 11, again reminded me very much of the 95, was made purely because of the accountants, whilst Wynns have a squillion parcels to choose from, its ironic that there was "enough grapes" of "sufficient quality" to put out 100 000 cases. No other wines of merit from the portfolio were made that year, and the '11 Gables is probably the worst wine I have tried in a long time...ended up giving 6 away as Christmas presents.
2012 onwards all look very good.
Think in the VFM stakes its head and shoulders above...and with 10 years cellaring looks even better.
Cheers
Craig

[mjs]

Yes, always a fair bit of discussion about this wine at this time of the year for a new release. The 2015 BL has been getting a fair bit of praise, and I think deservedly so. It has a purity of fruit, medium body, good structure, fine tannins, no overt oak. I am looking forward to trying this wine over many years to come.

Craig, I think you might find that the '11 will actually turn out to be a reasonable wine, not great, but quite good.

With retrospective tastings and other things going on in this Wynns-a-thon time of year, there's not a lot more that can be said about this Label, but I'll add a couple of things. It is iconic in the pantheon of Australian wine, incredibly good value, a wine that ages well and a great drink. Over the last two weeks, I have been lucky enough to have had the '76, '81, '88, '91 (x2), '93, '03 and '15. All had something to offer. The '76 was a great drink (a bottle last year was WOTY for me), the '88 in that leafy style of the '80s, '91 just sublime, '93 Not quite up to the '91 but a beautiful drink, the '15 continuing the recent return to lower alcohol, medium weight, but still potentially long lived wines, reminiscent of the '60s.

Certainly the standard across the whole Wynns range has been improving over the last ten or more years, since Alan Jenkins took the chainsaw to more than a few vines in their holdings!

[Redwine&Rum]

If the 2015 BL is going to be a good wine. Imagine how good the 2015 JR will be?

[phillisc]

If the 2015 BL is going to be a good wine. Imagine how good the 2015 JR will be?

Yes already saving up now for the 15 JR, Michael and Single vineyard

Having a look at the range this Friday and others of course at the Coonawarra Road show in Adelaide...particularly interested in the 14 Michael, agree it lives in the shadow of the Cabernets, but the 04 I had a couple of weeks ago was amazing.

Cheers
Craig

[mjs]

Having a look at the range this Friday and others of course at the Coonawarra Road show in Adelaide...particularly interested in the 14 Michael, agree it lives in the shadow of the Cabernets, but the 04 I had a couple of weeks ago was amazing.

Craig, another point worth noting about the Michael, is that Wynns use only French oak now. The Michael (admittedly from a few vintages ago) used to have a good lick of American oak. Some from the 90's that I have enjoyed recently perhaps have a bit much overt Am oak influence. Much better now.
Cheers, Malcolm

[JamieBahrain]

Feel I'm missing out here. Will it last long retail?

If not, not to worry, I'm sure it will turn up an offlines for the next 20 years.

[phillisc]

Feel I'm missing out here. Will it last long retail?

If not, not to worry, I'm sure it will turn up an offlines for the next 20 years.

Jamie, you won't miss out...would have thought this wine is on offer in an international lounge for tasting and or at in-store duty free...just all the usual hysteria around release...winery that put Coonawarra on the map...in Langtons top 5 for most collected, JH proclaiming most important Cabernet in the country...Huon jumped in with 98 pts.
There is plenty floating around, hard to get the actual numbers but somewhere in the order of 1 000 000 bottles or roughly 100 000 cases made.
I have got a dozen in the cellar and a few in the rack for drinking...might get 12 more.
Would be interested in your thoughts from an international palate...certainly will be at an offline in 20 years...and under stelvin is likely to go 40+...another relic for the grandies
Cheers
Craig

[tarija]

Feel I'm missing out here. Will it last long retail?

If not, not to worry, I'm sure it will turn up an offlines for the next 20 years.

There is an ocean of this stuff made, you won't miss out.

If you do, just console yourself with a (another) case of Cappellano instead

[Redav]

Couldn't find a single bottle at our local I'll have to try again hahaha

[Matt@5453]

Having a look at the range this Friday and others of course at the Coonawarra Road show in Adelaide...particularly interested in the 14 Michael, agree it lives in the shadow of the Cabernets, but the 04 I had a couple of weeks ago was amazing.

Craig, another point worth noting about the Michael, is that Wynns use only French oak now. The Michael (admittedly from a few vintages ago) used to have a good lick of American oak. Some from the 90's that I have enjoyed recently perhaps have a bit much overt Am oak influence. Much better now.
Cheers, Malcolm

This is a good point. Wynns have ramped up the investment in their oak assets to lift their quality of wines over the last 5-7 years.

[rens]

Yep a lot of hype about this wine and yes over three decades has gone from an alcoholic ripe through to a green and thin to a more balanced restrained style.
I have a good run going back 40 years and apart from a couple of wines in the 80s, 85, and 89 were fairly ordinary last time I had them, and remember 92, and particularly 95 on release a being a green acidic weedy wine, and despite all the praise for the 11, again reminded me very much of the 95, was made purely because of the accountants, whilst Wynns have a squillion parcels to choose from, its ironic that there was "enough grapes" of "sufficient quality" to put out 100 000 cases. No other wines of merit from the portfolio were made that year, and the '11 Gables is probably the worst wine I have tried in a long time...ended up giving 6 away as Christmas presents.
2012 onwards all look very good.
Think in the VFM stakes its head and shoulders above...and with 10 years cellaring looks even better.
Cheers
Craig

If i ever end up on your Chrismas list, please take me off ASAP.

[rens]

I shared a bottle over 2 days. Double decant at lunch on day one and drank half that night. Lid on and on the kitchen bench until the next night. As already stated, it has good fruit, nice balance and is a good wine that was better on the second night.
Like others the 2015 JR will be a buy (As long as the Wynns marketing people don't go nuts with the price once some one gives it 100).

[phillisc]

Rens...I feel mortally offended...never would I do such a thing to a fellow Auswiner
Great when you see arseholes once a year who you don't really want to be with, have slaved all day in the kitchen for and can't even be bother to let you know it was a good day.
Cheers
Craig

[Luke W]

Just swilling this. It has wonderful tannins and great balance, nice dark fruit. The palate is left in harmony with the experience and wants more. Wish I had more days in my life to enjoy it but alas I already have enough and so will only buy another 6. A bargain for the price!
Had a 2003 WBL last nite to compare and it was lovely but not in this league.

[felixp21]

.
I have seen every vintage of Black Label, and would rate this in the top 15.

With all the hype from the critics, top 15 surely is damning with faint praise?

1991 was very good. The 2000s I have had seem a long way off the 91.

I am not sure i am damning this with faint praise, but i do despair at the ridiculous scores metered out by some critics. Allocating these scores has become a game to attract subscribers, garner interest, or sell the product.
This is an excellent release, as they all have been since the 2012 vintage. You have to go back to 1990/91 for this quality.
But the BL's prior to the intro of John Riddoch in 1982, and other super cuvees since, were of higher quality in the great vintages. The 2015 isn't even close to the quality of the 1976 IMO. Plus there were many other great vintages in the 60's and 70's that i would rate higher than the 2015.

[phillisc]

Felix, in part agree, not so much a question of lesser quality, but more a change in style.
I do agree with a Riddoch, fruit going into single vineyard releases, a V&A Cab/Shiraz, a Gables Cab/Shiraz, the siding, the red stripe that the Cabernet has to go a long way. That said there have still been some great BLs, for me the 82 is a better wine than the same vintage of JR...they are both right up there but the BL of that year has greater fruit expression.

86, 94, 96, 98 are none too shabby.
With time, this wine really evolves and more often than not turns out very well.
Cheers
Craig

[Redav]

Out of interest, how does the '08 and '10 fair in comparison? I only have one of each as a bit of an experiment to see how they go after 10 years as I regularly read that they need at least 10 years. I'll have another look tonight for one but I wouldn't mind putting away 6 to see how they go over time. We had an '08 earlier and it wasn't particularly memorable.

[mjs]

My own personal rule .... apart from tastings, only drink Coonawarra cabernet with at least ten years of age

[Redav]

That's the plan. And I grabbed a '15 last night and I think I'll be getting some more.

[Michael McNally]

Bought my usual 6 and have tried twice since. The key for me is balance. Excellent balance. Will be getting 6 more. (I am a little younger than Luke )

Cheers

Michael

[Redwine&Rum]

Thought I would crack one of these with my wife to see what all the fuss was about. And I agree it is a very nice wine. Definitely lived up to expectations. Soft mouth feel. Beautifully balanced wine. There was a lingering sweetness which I enjoyed. Not a candied sickly sweetness though. It was very yummy. I'm going to have to try and hide these somewhere in my cellar. I can only dream of how good the 15' JR will be. However won't be opening that for many many years. Be an old man by the time that is ready to drink.

[felixp21]

Felix, in part agree, not so much a question of lesser quality, but more a change in style.
I do agree with a Riddoch, fruit going into single vineyard releases, a V&A Cab/Shiraz, a Gables Cab/Shiraz, the siding, the red stripe that the Cabernet has to go a long way. That said there have still been some great BLs, for me the 82 is a better wine than the same vintage of JR...they are both right up there but the BL of that year has greater fruit expression.

86, 94, 96, 98 are none too shabby.
With time, this wine really evolves and more often than not turns out very well.
Cheers
Craig

The 86 is great, we are in agreement there Craig!!!
Not too sure about those 90's vintages you have listed. IMO, Wynns went thru an awful period over this time, the 96 in particular is very ordinary. Very short with a mean, green streak. There was, I believe, a problem with the mechanical harvesting, although I can't confirm that. (sparky?)
Whatever the case, I personally couldn't recommend any of those vintages, and my cellar has a stack of each lying there getting old (as opposed to maturing).
Certainly, this most famous label is back on track, happily for us all!!!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Sad to hear about your view of the 1996 Black Label as that is my oldest vintage. It being from such a renowned vintage for Australian reds, and it being a cabernet, I had high hopes for it. Realistically I not expecting it to be a stellar wine but more of a finely developed mature wine to match an appropriate meal.

Mahmoud.