Grand Cru Tasting Group (Perth) - Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 and older

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

The Grand Cru wine tasting group met as usual for our monthly event. We’ve had a good run recently with “2016 and older” themes, so continued with Cabernet Sauvignon. In this case, we were looking at straight Cabernet Sauvignons only, within the confines of Australia’s labelling laws.

We looked at 15 wines between 2016 and 1995, with 2014 and 2012 providing the majority. Being a Perth based group, I was anticipating a truckload of Margaret River wines, but this proved not to be the case.

Tahbilk ‘Eric Stevens Purbrick’ 2016 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria): A vibrant nose with blackcurrant, raspberry, cocoa powder, tomato leaf, rhubarb, brambles, and moderate cedary oak. There’s more milk chocolate and dark fruits on the palate. Tannins and oak are both restrained, and acid freshens the wine. Very well balanced, and medium to long finish. Probably a decade too young. Well regarded by the group.

A bracket of 2014s followed.

McWIlliams Single Vineyard ‘Block 19 & 20’ 2014 (Hilltops, NSW): Complex nose, with blackberry6, cocoa, tomato leaf, charcuterie, black olive and a touch of maraschino cherry. The palate opens with more blackberry and juicy red plums. The wine shows fine but persistent tannins, good supporting acid, and a medium to long finish.

St Hugo ‘The Unspoken Promise’ 2014 (Barossa, S.A.): The nose initially showed blueberry and violet (which made us consider if there was a touch of Petit Verdot in the wine). They were followed up by vanilla, milk chocolate, red fruits, and some savoury elements – chalk, cedar and a hint of gun smoke. The palate showed tangy red fruits and under-ripe blackberries. There are pronounced and grippy tannins and juicy acid. Medium to long finish.

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Moss Wood 2014 (Margaret River, W.A.): Blackcurrant, eucalypt and milk chocolate on the nose. The palate has an interesting mix of bright fruits up front and dark, brooding fruits underneath. There’s integrated tannins, prominent acid, and medium length. Lots of structure and layers, with obvious ageing potential.

Wynns ‘Black Label’ 2014 (Coonawarra, S.A.): Savoury oak, brambles, and redcurrant on the nose, along with some herbaceousness, tomato leaf and a touch of sulphites. The palate shows blackcurrant and cigar-box, with dusty tannins. Long finish and possibly too young now.

We then followed with half a dozen 2012’s.

Franciscan Estate 2012 (Napa, California): Initially vegetal, followed by milk chocolate, bacon, beef stock, allspice and capsicum, with the more expected fruit characters present but in the background. The palate is soft, with modest acid. There’s more chocolate and soft dark berries. Medium finish.

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Melba Mimi 2012 (Yarra Valley, Victoria): This opened with cocoa and dusty oak, followed by blackberries, raspberries, and a little asparagus or green pea. There’s also ash, and earthy savoury notes. The palate shows slightly tangy acid and dark / red fruits. Tannins are dusty and integrated, with some acid and leading to a long finish.

Wirra Wirra ‘The Angelus’ 2012 (McLaren Vale, S.A.): Prominent spicy oak, with herbs, a little menthol, blackberry and cassis on the nose. Strong palate, with chocolate, cola, a little porty, and bitumen. Tannins are dusty and integrated, and there’s a milky texture. Well regarded by the group.

D’Arenberg ‘The Coppermine Road’ 2012 (McLaren Vale, S.A.): Savoury oak dominates the (diminishing) black fruits on the nose. This is accompanied by camphor, earthiness and a ferrous character. The palate showed juicy dark fruits, milk chocolate and sour cherry. Tannins and acid both play supporting roles, and there’s a touch of alcohol heat. Good length. Picked by most of the group as a McLaren Vale wine.

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Wynns ‘Black Label’ 2012 (Coonawarra, S.A.): Blackcurrant, black olive and a touch of herbaceousness on the nose. More blackcurrant / cassis and olive on the palate, and the fruit appears quite ripe. Long finish and well regarded by the group.

Hardy’s ‘Thomas Hardy’ 2012: 70% Coonawarra, 27% Margaret River and 3% McLaren Vale. Blackberries and raspberries on the nose, with the fruit appearing slightly stewed. Savoury oak is evident also. On the palate, tannins are grainy and persistent, with good supporting acid. Fruits are red and slightly tart. Medium to long finish.

Then onto the final, older wines.

Wynns ‘Black Label’ 2010 (Coonawarra, S.A.): Blackcurrant, cassis, cigar box and milk chocolate on the nose, along with some meats and leather. The fruits follow through the palate, with the milk chocolate giving the wine a velvety texture. Good supporting acid and firm tannins, and very well balanced. Developing a little now and highly regarded by the group.

Clairault ‘Estate’ 2007 (Margaret River, W.A.): A moderate amount of V.A. on the nose, with chocolate, tart red fruits, some tobacco and earthiness. The palate has more chocolate, with dark and red fruits, and a somewhat vegetal or green capsicum presence.

Thompson Estate 2004 (Margaret River, W.A.): A larger amount of V.A. and varnish on the nose, which many of us could not get past. There’s some red fruits lurking beneath the V.A., and an unusual (and strong) impression of honey.

Peel Estate 1995 (Geographe, W.A.): This had seen better days (I can attest to this personally), and the nose was musty and drew a descriptor of “aged care home” (unfair comparison, I thought). There are the remains of fruit, and the tannins and acid would have supported the fruit well (had it remained). Past it.

A shame about the final three wines (all W.A.!), but a most interesting and varied tasting. Wine of the night was the McWIlliams Single Vineyard ‘Block 19 & 20’ 2014, by a small margin over the Wynns 2012 and 2010.

Next month we will be moving away from the ‘2016 and older’ theme.

Cheers
Allan

[Waiters Friend]

A couple more photos:

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[Ian S]

Aged care home... ouch, that's a rather too evocative descriptor

I like the idea of having Wynns BL dotted throughout the tasting, as it does feel like a benchmark wine, certainly for value, but also in pure enjoyment terms.

[Waiters Friend]

I like the idea of having Wynns BL dotted throughout the tasting, as it does feel like a benchmark wine, certainly for value, but also in pure enjoyment terms.

Hi Ian. The BL inclusions were more by accident than design (each person brings wine to the tasting and they're served blind, except for vintage), but given the BL is an Autralian benchmark, it's no surprise that we ended up with more than one!

Cheers
Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

I must say that given the fairly longstanding reputation of Margaret River Cabernet I am surprised at how poorly the older ones showed in this tasting. I had always regretted not having Margaret River wines in my cellar but perhaps I should be grateful for the oversight.