Coonawarra musings 2022

[phillisc]

A very enjoyable 5 days in Mount Gambier and Coonawarra last week, some great meals and excellent tastings. Overwhelming consensus is that 2019 will be a fabulous vintage with 2021 and 2022 looking very promising. Lots of tastings, probably have missed a few, rough attempt at some impressions.

Balnaves, 2018 Cabernet looks promising, although outshone by others. 2018 the blend, great wine, very good mouth feel. 2019 cab merlot, really lovely texture, a surprise, very balanced now, soft ripe fruits, gentle tannins excellent at $18. 2018 Tally, good wine, but not great, needs time, might join the wine club

Banks Thargo, a label that I have largely ignored but will look at getting some now. Vineyards abut Bowen Estate and the wines are made by Emma Bowen, 2012 and 2018 cabernet, plush layers of fruits, blackberry blueberry with a long finish, lovely structure, medium bodied, everything balanced, nice surprise and worth seeking out

Blok estate, have tried previously, 2012 Cabernet very solid, 2013 Shiraz very good, in a nice spot now. 2019 Riesling very good, picked up a few.

Bowen, 2000 Cabernet, for a not overly great vintage, this wine is showing very well, plenty of life, excellent development, solid fruit flavours, nice drinking. 2010 Cabernet, brilliant, one of the wines of weekend, still very primary, but lovely finish, has eons to go. 2020 Cabernet, one of the few 2020s that I though stacked up against the 19s, has good depth of fruit, black/blue berry notes, with a firm finish. Feel that the acid has been dialled back a bit in the last 2-3 vintages. 2020 Shiraz, promising, but smashed by the 2019 Shiraz, wonderful wine, glad to have a case

Brands, tried a number of wines here, with the Stentiford and 171 being the standouts, think they were 2016 and 2018 vintages, good solid wines, might have to join the wine club.

CV wines, a conglomerate that has a myriad of labels, with Reschke being one of the Coonawarra representatives. Must have warehouses full of back vintages, a 2008 cabernet which was sound but a pronounced caramel note, oak related? 2019 cabernet good structure, but surprising didn’t have the wow factor

Digorgio, looked at a few wines at the CD. 2010 Cabernet, in a great spot, has probably peaked. Coonawarra and Lucindale fruit. 2019 excellent, very balanced, well structured, plush, rich, picked up a few. 2020 Shiraz cab, fell a bit short, lacks fruit, pass. 2012 fortified shiraz nice balance between fruit and spirit, lovely length, picked up a couple

Hollick, 2012 Ravenswood, in a bit of a hole, a little ho hum, perhaps has peaked. 2018, needs decades, black blueberry ribena with loads of tannins and a kiss of oak, needs lots of time

Jack estate, 2012 and 2018, last wines tried after 2 ½ hours of tasting. Interesting, but lacked the oomph of many other wines.

Katnook, apparently looking for a new winemaker after the current incumbent of 18 months has been let go, apparently accolade is getting ready for a sale. 2012 cabernet, fabulous wine, so primary, fantastic structure, depth of flavour, texture so balanced. 2019, beautiful fruit purity another cracker. Managed a half glass of the 2019 Odyssey, stunning wine, certainly one to watch.

Koonara, Dru Reschke’s set up, tried a range of wines here, Angels cabernet probably the best, the sparkling was also solid.

Leconfield, 2008 Cabernet, very smart, in a great spot, has years left, so smashable, went back a couple of times. 2019 cabernet very good too, have a few in the cellar. Tried a 2017 Sydney at the cellar door and at a wine dinner, closed. Lacking fruit, perhaps already peaked, can’t see any improvement. 2018 Sydney on the other hand, much better, plenty of fruit, full bodied, has great potential

Majella, continues to shine, Bruce Gregory is a very talented winemaker, 2007 wonderful fruit, still has primary notes, one of the wines of the weekend. 2019 is fantastic, will certainly be getting some. The 2013-2022 vertical was a treat, with the 2019, 2021 and 2022 all showing great structure, balance and fruit purity. 2016 in a bit of a hole, 2018 settling from the very primary fruit flavours, will be very good, 2017 is lacking fruit and was the weakest wine of the line up. 2015 GPK is a beast, rivals John Riddoch for depth and flavour, lovely floral characters, full bodied with out being extracted. 2016 Mallea, again great structure, will age superbly.

Ottelia, doing great things, daughter Matilda following on from dad John Innes ( ex Rymill). Mount Gambier Riesling is fantastic, had a couple of the ’22 over the weekend, trophy for best white at last week’s LCWS. Picked up a few bottles. 2012 and 2018 cabernet excellent wines, lovely fruit, very balanced, one to watch. 4 hour lunch at Fodder was an absolute treat.

Parker Estate, 2012 95 Block cabernet, in a great spot. 2019 95 block, simply sublime, ethereal, the purest of fruit, wonderful structure, long long finish, great job by Andrew Ox Hardy in finishing a wine that Phil Lehman started…big call but wine of the weekend for me. 6 in the hole. 2019 Terra Rossa, fabulous wine, great depth of flavour, drinking so well, this with Majella cabernet is probably the barometer of the vintage, right up there with ’19 Wynns BL. 2018 First growth, classic Coonawarra, certainly rivals JR, long finish, great depth, fantastic potential. 2019 will be a belter.

Redman, this is a label which I think is on the improve, tried several wines at the CD and at the Pipers dinner. 2013 cabernet drinking very well, 2019 cabernet and Shiraz really good, plush and robust, and through the wine club good VFM. 2020 wines solid but overshadowed by the 19s.

Wynns, organised a tasting with the new CD manager, delightful young lady, and a most welcomed change. Fortuitous that the tasting was at the same time as the adjacent master class next door and that a couple of wines found their way to our glasses, lucky us. 2019 single vineyard Davis cabernet, new release, a bit of a thumper of a wine, beautiful fruit and structure as it opened up in the glass, a fraction hot, but this blew off a bit, modest alcohol. Fantastic potential. 2008 Davis in a great spot, moreish, delicious another 15 years easily. 2016 V&A cabernet Shiraz , a surprise and might get a few more, so much fruit, great structure, powerful tannins, will live for decades. 2019 BL Shiraz, off the oldest 1890 and 1920 blocks, lovely blackberry, twinge of sweetness, fine tannins, will age very well. 2019 BL cab, waves and waves of blue and black fruits, so balanced, one of the wines of the weekend. Will rival any other vintage. 2020 BL cab, a fraction muted, again another 2020 being completely dominated by the previous vintage. Promising but lacks the structure and depth, good but not great. 2013 BL cabernet, in a bit of a quiet spot, has closed down, lacking a bit of fruit?? Regarded as a triumph for the vintage, potential to improve. 2018 Johnsons single vineyard cabernet, great spot now, just starting to settle, could have a bottle for lunch, or one in 20 years, very very good wine. 2005 Michael, close to being ready, lovely cherry cola and white pepper notes, will crack one soon. 2021 John Riddoch, barrel sample, final blending for this wine finished this week and will be bottled shortly, 14 months in French oak, 30% new, fabulous structure with powerful tannins. 2018 JR, powerhouse, fruit, oak, tannins all in abundance, look at in 10 years. 2019 JR, new release, not available, but magically a half bottle metamorphosed its way to our table. Not sure, but probably out of the hands of CD staff and under the direction of TWE that this wine was not available for tasting, on the premier weekend of the year in Coonawarra. Opened with beautiful floral notes of fresh violets, herbs, leading to a very plush pure palate of typical varietal characteristics. Nothing out of place, oak, tannin and everything else so balanced. A generous half glass, which I sat on for 5-10 minutes. Drink now or in 40 years. Will be tracking down a case once prices settle!! Finished with the series 4 Pedro Ximenez, more of a botrytis than a fortified style, absolutely unctuous and rich, went very well with the blue and hard cheese accompaniments.

Wynns for some reason is making a 2020 JR. Pitch was that the <1% fruit selection was up to it in terms of quality, but more so, that apart from BL cab, nothing else is being released, so are taking a very big gamble in making a very limited release ( again that’s their words and who knows what the access will be). The 2019 and 2021 will slaughter it, but time may tell. Fabulous tasting 13 wines!!

Whistle Post. The old Lindemans, Mildara, Jamieson’s Run set up. I am not sure what they are doing here, but both 2012 and 2018 cabernet were out of balance, sharp edges, harsh notes, too much acid, not overly impressed.

Yalumba, 2012 Menzies, this was beautiful, made it way into my top 5, think I have a few, terrific wine. 2017 Menzies , continues the story of the vintage, wine felt hot flat and a bit short, 2018/19 should be so much better. 2018 Scantum, new wine, nice structure well balanced, designed to fit between the cigar and the Menzies. Unlike previous years no Caley!! A cracker of a wine, suspect the next release (2018) will be fabulous.

Zema, 2008 cabernet, in a really good spot. 2018, solid without being exciting. 2018 Cluny, best wine of the range, great vfm, lovely balance. 2016 FS Cabernet and Shiraz, again well-made wines, that didn’t wow me, might need time? 2018 cabernet, good wine for the money, 2018 Shiraz, just lacks fruit, tannins +++, needs to settle. 2016 Saluti, top marque, second release after 2006, ($125). Really good, but feel that there is an enormous gulf between this and the 2nd/3rd tier labels. 2016 Shiraz, went really well with a porterhouse at The Barn.

Cheers Craig

[VinoEd]

Great notes Craig - thanks for sharing.

I’ve managed to get a few Reschke back vintages at very good pricing (RSR and Bos) and have found them to be great value at the $20/bottle range.

Great to hear re the Katnook Odyssey 2019. I might have to invest in a few of them. The 2001 I had not too long ago was holding up very well - it’s a quality wine. Will be an interesting comparison against the likes of the JR in years to come.

Cheers Ed

[mjs]

While Craig was mucking around at CD, I was actually in the MasterClass, which was sensational, perhaps worth a thread of its own. Six world wines against six Coonawarra wines, all from 2019, all Cabernet or Cabernet dominant apart from an Italian which was more merlot than cab. Anyway, I digress.
Found it hard to split the 19 Odyssey and the 19 JR in the tasting as the best Coonawarra wines in the tasting, they were both outstanding. So, yes, it will be interesting seeing these against each other over time. The Ducru was my favourite of the world wines, which also included UnZud (Te Mata), Napa, Stellenbosch, Chile and Italy. Perhaps some notes later.

It was another great weekend in the Coonawarra. Decadence tasting was great, which showed old and recent wines together, Majella 10 year vertical excellent as Craig mentioned. Six year vertical at Zema also v good. If you’re after food in the area, do yourself a favour and go to Simon and Erika Bowen’s restaurant Pipers of Penola. Been going there for years now, but the food this time was just next level.

[phillisc]

Yep, the planets sure did align nicely. Hannah arranged the tasting a couple of months ago, at 12 PM Saturday, right when your lot were meant to finish the masterclass, yet by then you still had six wines to go.
Cath Cox-Kidman stopped for a chat and poured us some of the Oydessy and then a winemaker dropped off the remains of a '19 JR, so happy days indeed! Agree with your assessment and a future '19 horizontal will be good to do.
It was a nice synergy as 2 years previously I attended the 2020 masterclass, (COVID was a blessing) as Sue Hodder organised a fabulous in house masterclass of a selection of JR vintages from 82 to a 2019 barrel sample...good to see the finished product 2 years later. We had a great time and certainly an organised tasting at Wynns is the way to go.

Yes Pipers has never been better and great to talk to young local kids who are getting a start in hospitality through Simon and Erika. Its a well oiled machine, but feel that extra effort is put in for this dinner and the July siblings event.
Even the pub has lifted it game, although had a laugh at the owner trying to flog expensive Pinot to the locals...perhaps Bordeaux would be a smarter choice.
Hope to saddle up again next year, its a great weekend.
Cheers Craig

[GraemeG]

Nice notes all, thanks.
I like Coonawarra, but top Bdx is pretty special stuff.
Sad that even the large volumes made can't keep the price reasonable.

[phillisc]

Nice notes all, thanks.
I like Coonawarra, but top Bdx is pretty special stuff.
Sad that even the large volumes made can't keep the price reasonable.

Thanks, have tried just 2-3 FGs and a handful or two of 2nd-5th, but my experience is very limited.
Simply don't have the cash or connections to move in those circles. Guess I'm thankful that if Coonawarra was like Bordeaux, anything classed as a top marque would be priced at the level of a 620

Cheers Craig

[Matt@5453]

Thanks Craig, nice 'musings'. 2019 was one of those dry, drought type years, hence very good concentration of fruit and flavours, Cabernet copes well in those conditions. I happened to try a Taylors 2019 Coonawarra Cabernet recently, it was very good indeed and suggest a long life ahead.

Your comments on the 2017 menzies, 2017 is one of these years to avoid, that year was a really wet lead-in to vintage, and was cool too, generally speaking the wines don't or didn't stack up. I say that because what we are experiencing now weather-wise is something very akin to 2017, leading into 2023. Its bringing back some bad memories and headaches for the viti guys and winemakers. Hopefully it dries out soon.

[I Love Shiraz]

Great notes phillisc.

I heard from Sue Hodder on a podcast that 2019 is an excellent vintage.

I agree the Bowen Estate Cab Sav 2010 is a blinder. I am so happy I have another 3 bottles of this wine.

[phillisc]

Thanks Craig, nice 'musings'. 2019 was one of those dry, drought type years, hence very good concentration of fruit and flavours, Cabernet copes well in those conditions. I happened to try a Taylors 2019 Coonawarra Cabernet recently, it was very good indeed and suggest a long life ahead.

Your comments on the 2017 menzies, 2017 is one of these years to avoid, that year was a really wet lead-in to vintage, and was cool too, generally speaking the wines don't or didn't stack up. I say that because what we are experiencing now weather-wise is something very akin to 2017, leading into 2023. Its bringing back some bad memories and headaches for the viti guys and winemakers. Hopefully it dries out soon.

Thanks Matt, I try and trust my palate and are finding these days it takes just a nano second for me to detect a wine being out of balance, harsh and simply not right. I appreciate a twinge of sweetness, grapes need sufficient sugar concentration, appropriate baume, to not turn out be one of these bitter acidic bombs, that causes a protest and I am left thinking why was this ever made!!
Anyway, having trouble explaining myself here, but think you will get what I mean. Its been a good run though, apart from the 17s I still have big question marks about about the 2020 vintage. Reminds me of both 95 and 2011, vintages that saw a lot of disjointed green mistakes.

Yes don't want to see peoples livelihoods ruined, but the 2022 line in the sand seems to be firming .

Cheers Craig