Grand Cru (Perth) tasting – Bordeaux varietals with a twist

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

We know that Bordeaux red wines can be made from a blend of any of these grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have been made as straight varietal wines in the New World for many years, but this isn't the case as much for the lesser blending partners. But there's a level of interest among winemakers and consumers, and some interesting examples are being produced.

So, the theme this time was for straight varietals made from Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc or Carmenere. Vintage and country of origin was open. The wines were tasted blind, with the vintage known, but variety not.

I can tell you up front that not a single bottle of straight Carmenere appeared on the night – and we had some interesting discussions trying to guess which wines were what variety. I can also let you know that 7 of the 9 wines were from Western Australia.

Redgate Cabernet Franc 2018 (Margaret River): Crimson / garnet in colour. Spicy, slightly smoky nose, with bell peppers, dark cherries, violets and Cherry Ripe. There’s more dark cherry on the palate, along with high acid and drying tannins, leading to a medium-long finish. It tastes older than a 2018, and, although balanced, was considered a little one-dimensional.

Gralyn Malbec 2018 (Margaret River): Purple in colour. The nose shows cassis, raisins, cranberry, forest fruits and herbs (sage, oregano, thyme). The palate is silky, with powdery tannins and a velvety finish. Good length and well regarded by the group.

Marq Cabernet Franc 2018 (Margaret River): Purple black in colour. There’s an intriguing mix of fig paste, raspberry, forest floor and pomegranate on the nose, while the palate is showing sweet red fruits, forest fruits and one taster noted a “choc raspberry torte”. There’s grippy tannins, and high – almost tart – acid.

Larry Cherubino LC Malbec 2016 (Great Southern): Deep purple in colour. Spicy nose, dusty and earthy, with dark fruits, tobacco leaf, pencil shaving, sweet satsuma plums, cassis and mulberries noted on the nose. It has a rich palate, almost glossy, with chocolate and cherries, complementary acid – which then finishes quite short, with drying tannins and acid the only features of the finish. Great nose, however.

Catena Malbec 2016 (Mendoza, Argentina): Under cork. Purple red in colour. There’s light but juicy red fruits on the nose, along with what one taster described immediately as “stinky feet”, soap, mint / menthol, tar, black olives, brine and oregano. The palate continues with the soft juicy fruits, with similarly gentle tannins. It’s light to medium bodied – but with some palate weight and complexity. For this reason (and despite the “stinky Feet” this was well regarded by the group.

Skillogalee Basket Press Malbec 2014 (Clare Valley): Brick red crossing over to crimson. Initially vegetal, the nose shows herbs, summer red fruits, choc, spearmint and wood polish (not in the VA sense). The palate is slippery (glycerol) with mouth-puckering tannins and coffee grounds. There’s lots of fruit up front but it falls away at the finish. The wine tasted older than a 2014, but despite this was highly regarded by the group.

Brookside Petit Verdot 2014 (Perth Hills): Deep purple in colour. High alcohol (14.6%) was noted early. There’s violets, black mulberries, chocolate, and menthol on the nose, along with dusty and earthy tones, and leather. There’s high amounts of tannins and acid (the latter adding some freshness to the wine). More choc / mocha, and a weighty palate lead to a long but slightly astringent finish. The group believed we were drinking this way too young.

Marq Malbec 2013 (Margaret River): Purple in colour. Jammy and stewed plums on the nose, with some iodine, cassis, briar and mulberry. The palate is soft but full (and a little flat). Acid has integrated, there are drying tannins, stewed ripe black fruits and a soft, medium finish. One taster described it as “cherry cola which has gone flat”. Another taster queried whether the bottle was heat affected.

Faber Vineyard Petit Verdot 2013 (Swan Valley, W.A.): Under cork. Purple/crimson in colour. Initial acetone, V/A on the nose, with raspberry, dark fruits, redskin lollies, redcurrant, dark cherries, meat, leather and olives. The palate is glossy and velvety (glycerols), with medium/high acid and some herbal qualities. A short to medium finish made some tasters question if the wine is slightly past its peak, and the “old world” style of the wine was noted. Highly regarded by the group.

An interesting mix indeed, despite the predominance of Western Australian wines. It was a South Australian wine, however, which was voted Wine of the Night – the Skillogalee Basket Press Malbec 2014.

This tasting also showed how variable these wines can present – variety, age and region all playing large parts in providing that variety.

Cheers
Allan

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[Mahmoud Ali]

Sounds like a fun tasting. Thanks for the writeup.

Couple of things, I'm disappointed that nobody thought of bringing a Pirramimma Petit Verdot. Also that Catena makes a number of malbec wines and it looks like the one on tasting was a basic bottling.

Mahmoud.