Myattsfield Joseph Myatt Reserve Vertical Tasting 2004-2018

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

Myattsfield is a well-established winery in the Perth Hills. Husband and wife winemaking team Josh and Rachael Davenport have been crafting a wide range of wines over 20 years or so, and I suspect having a fair amount of fun in the process. They source grapes from their own vineyards in the Bickley and Carmel Valleys, as well as from other places as far afield as Chittering Valley (north of Perth) and Manjimup (much further south) and places in between. In addition to their own products, they contract make for several other wineries in the region.

Compared to the big names in W.A. like Sandalford (which Josh has worked for), the total production here is small, and bottlings of 100 dozen or under are commonplace. They also play with a number of different grape varieties including Durif (they planted the first Durif vines in W.A. nearly 20 years ago), Vermentino (including a concrete egg fermented version), Touriga and Mourvedre (their straight Mourvedre has been a personal favourite for years).

Rachael is also an accomplished sparkling winemaker, and we started the tasting with a bottle of their 2012 Blanc de Noir, which was a delightful way to start the evening – flavourful, and still light on its feet, not overly yeasty and the perfect palate cleanser.

Many of their red wines are blends, and the Joseph Myatt Reserve is always a blend, although the composition of the blend has varied over the years, and you will see this in the tasting notes below. Some of the blends are not what you might expect (e.g. a Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier has been produced for well over a decade, and the introduction of a Shiraz Touriga Durif has created an interesting marketing dilemma if you go by the initials). Similarly, a Cabernet blend has been a staple for many years, and is blended with one or more of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Many of these blends are first trialled through Myattsfield’s Left Field Club, and members get to try some of the smaller bottlings before (and if) they are released to the general public. It’s an insight into the breadth of Josh and Rachael’s thinking, as well as a snapshot of the current batch of wines (with an occasional museum wine thrown in)

Normally for vertical tastings, we taste from youngest to oldest, to see the evolution of the wine over time. However, this works best for straight varietals or where the composition is largely the same – that way, you’re looking at vintage variation and the impact of age. In this case, we opted to go from oldest to youngest, to see how the composition of the wine has evolved over time. Josh and Rachael were gracious in submitting to a barrage of questions regarding the decisions they made in individual years. By the way, the Joseph Myatt Reserve is only made in years where Josh and Rachael are satisfied that the blend meets their requirements, particularly around structure and cellar-ability.

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We tasted every Joseph Myatt Reserve produced to date, including a pre-release taste of their 2018. So, onto the wines:

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2004 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Merlot 77%, Cabernet Sauvignon 23%, 12 months in new French oak hogsheads, 14% alc. This was the only wine under cork, and two bottles were opened to ensure we had a representative example. The nose is developed, with chocolate / mocha, Cherry Ripe, plums, aniseed and bacon fat. There’s more chocolate and red fruits on the palate, and quite a velvety mouthfeel (which was a regular feature in tasting comments across the wines). There’s good supporting acid and the wine has a medium finish, however, it’s showing the signs of age and this might be attributed in part to the closure.

2005 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Merlot 95%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5% (and a tiny splash of Petit Verdot), 12 months in new French oak hogsheads and 14% alcohol. This was a cool year in the Perth Hills, and this was also the first Reserve that I purchased from Myattsfield. The nose is showing red fruits, pencil shavings, mulberry, menthol (which also features in several other wines), coffee and leather. The darker fruit flows across the palate, with good supporting acid and soft integrated tannins. The velvety texture is here also, and the wine finishes quite long. This was the most Merlot dominant wine of the tasting , and is partially due to the maturity of their Merlot vines at that point in time. Josh also advises they were going for elegance and balance, which they have achieved according to our tasters, and this wine was well regarded by the group.

2006 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%, 12 months in new French oak hogsheads, 13% alc. Developed nose with blackberry, dark plums, chocolate, cassis and graphite. The palate shows the structure and depth you would expect from a Cabernet dominant wine. Fruit has diminished in comparison to the acid, and there’s a touch of VA. A slightly shorter finish than previous wines.

2007 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 40%, 12 months in new French oak hogsheads, 13.5% alc. Black and red fruits, menthol (again), tomato leaf and cumquat on the nose. There’s soft acid and integrated tannins beneath red fruits gently washing over the tongue. Medium finish, and described (again) as elegant by tasters.

2008 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 57%, Shiraz 43%, 12 months in new French oak barriques and hogsheads, 13.8% alc. This was the first (of two) Cabernet Shiraz blends, and the high percentage of Shiraz was included as a result of the warmer vintage. The nose is substantial, with chocolate, coconut, lots of blue and red fruits, raspberry jubes, anise, and some earthiness or truffle. The velvety texture is evident, with the fruits flooding over the palate, great supporting acid, and drying but integrated tannins. This is well balanced and likely to live for a few more years.

2009 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Petit Verdot 21%, Merlot 9%, 18 months in new French oak hogsheads, 14.6% alc. This was the second vintage of Petit Verdot harvested from their Bickley Valley vineyard, and the warmer year allowed for full ripening. The nose shows violets, dark and red fruits, lavender and white pepper. On the palate, there’s milk chocolate, both in taste and texture, along with baking spices, and a little vanilla. Acid is soft and the wine finishes long and full. Highly regarded by the group.

2011 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Shiraz 15%, 12 months in new French oak barriques and hogsheads, 14.8% alc. The nose is expressive, with coffee, coconut, blue and red fruits, smoked meats and iodine. The palate shows more of the rich red and blue fruits, with integrated drying tannins, and some cinnamon and clove. There’s plenty of acid keeping the wine fresh (but not dominating) and the wine finishes long. Well regarded by the group, who consider that the wine will last many more years.

2013 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Petit Verdot 28%, Shiraz 12%, 18 months in new French and American oak hogsheads, 15%% alc. Violets and lifted florals on the nose, along with dark fruits and brambles. Red fruits on the palate, which is satin rather than velvet. Gentle tannins and good supporting acid, and a slight alcohol heat. This shows well as a young wine, and the tasting group reckon this will go another 5 years easily.

2014 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 89%, Petit Verdot 11%, 18 months in new French and American oak hogsheads, 14.8%% alc. Violets, spices, red and blue fruits are leaping out of the glass. The nose is showing more plush fruit, alongside savoury oak and chalky tannins. The wine is intense and finishes rich and full. Like every wine from here forward, it’s too young, and will go for years.

2015 Joseph Myatt Reserve: Cabernet Sauvignon 63%, Merlot 32%, Durif 5%, 18 months in new French and American oak hogsheads, 13.8%% alc. The nose has savoury oak, black pepper, black fruits, redcurrants, Ribena, thyme and some meaty notes. The palate shows ripe, almost tart fruit, with acid slightly prominent, grippy tannins, and a touch of leather. It’s interesting that this is the only Reserve to date that shows off the mature Durif vines.

2018 Joseph Myatt Reserve:Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Shiraz 16% Cabernet Franc 11% Petit Verdot 2%, 18 months in new French and American oak hogsheads, 14.8%% alc. 2018 was a top vintage in WA, and this shows in the wine. Bright juicy blackberries, blue and red fruits sit alongside coffee and mocha on the nose. The intense fruit floats across the tongue, with vanilla, and drying tannins. Long finish. Superbly balanced and shows the promise of things to come. Well regarded by the group.

Wine of the night was the 2009 Joseph Myatt Reserve, with 2011 showing strongly and the 2018 likely to rank very highly if this tasting is repeated in 5-10 years.

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The tasting was followed by dinner and a magnum of the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot, which , although of similar composition to the 2009 Reserve, was not classified as a Reserve. A satisfying wine, probably at its peak.

This was a fascinating tasting, and, for the reasons given at the start of this post, significantly different from my other vertical tastings. My sincere gratitude to Josh and Rachael for their assistance in preparing the tasting, and for persevering through a myriad of questions from a bunch of amateurs.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

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