Due to a misunderstanding, I accidentally gate-crashed the Blacktongues without an invitation a few weeks ago when they were tasting a range of 1990/1991 Cabernet Sauvignons. Luckily for me Steve and the gang were king enough to let me stick around to try these superb wines. Mark Wickman posted notes from this tasting a few weeks ago, but given the quality of the wines it’s probably worth another point of view.
As usual, all the following wines were tasted blind and served in the order listed, and after about an hour all participants voted for their most preferred, two next preferred and their least preferred drops.
1991 Lindemans Pyrus Coonawarra Cabernet Blend: Dark red/brick colour. The nose is very earthy, complex and elegant, with lanolin, lemongrass, dried herbs, star anise and some chocolate. The palate opens with a salvo of sweet fruit, with obvious tannins on the finish, and some chocolate on the rebound. Arguably the most complex wine of the group and magnificent drinking now, finishing second outright among the panel.
My ranking: 4th place
Panel ranking: 2nd place
Votes: 5 most, 5 second & third, 1 least
1991 Seppelt Dorrien Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark brick/red colour, with some crust in the glass. Beautiful, fresh nose of mint, cedar, ozone, nutmeg/mixed spice, chocolate, roasted nuts and a hint of VA. The spicy fruit and silky tannins of the stylish palate are beautifully balanced, providing stunning length. Barossa Cabernet at its very best; simply outstanding as reflected by the voting in a strong field.
My ranking: 1st place
Panel ranking: 1st place
Votes: 5 most preferred, 9 second & third, 0 least
1991 Lindemans St George Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red/brick. The nose is very complex and slightly meaty, with mint, bacon, dried herbs & spices, diesel fumes and cedar. The mid-weight palate isn’t as open, with ripe berry fruit and big tannins providing a mixture that displays brute power rather than elegance. I felt this amazingly needed more time to bring out its best.
My ranking: =5th place
Panel ranking: 8th place
Votes: 0 most, 2 second & third, 2 least
1991 Hollick Ravenswood Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red/brick colour. Slightly chalky and complex nose of ozone, deli meats, vanilla, sandalwood, chocolate, caramel, and coffee. The weighty palate was also a mixture of rich, ripe fruit and lavish oak, with some black olive and baked fruits on the finish, plus ripe tannins and a lick of caramel with breathing. When its identity was revealed, Wicko put the emphasis on the “wood” part of the name – it was clearly oaky which divided the panel, although I felt it didn’t go over the top.
My ranking: 3rd place
Panel ranking: 5th place
Votes: 0 most, 7 second & third, 3 least
1990 Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark red/brick colour. A meaty and very minty nose, with some spice, chocolate, mocha and book leather. The palate is soft and supple at first with tangy fruit, some smoke, black olive and coffee, but I picked up some reductive characters as it breathed and marked it pretty harshly. The rest of the panel didn’t feel it was faulty and was far more forgiving in its assessment.
My ranking: 9th place
Panel ranking: =3rd place
Votes: 2 most, 2 second & third, 1 least
1990 Lindemans Pyrus Coonawarra Cabernet Blend: Dark red/brick colour. An elegant nose at first, with earthy/dusty chocolate, then some rubber, and finally coffee. The palate like the 1991 St George suggests this wine needs more time and I’ve ranked it accordingly; the structure is tight and ungiving, with some hints of coffee and black olive somewhere in those hefty tannins.
My ranking: =5th place
Panel ranking: =3rd place
Votes: 2 most, 2 second and third, 1 least
1990 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky red with a hint of purple; an amazing colour contrast to the rest of the group signaling the relative youth of this wine. The nose is chalky, dusty and slightly porty, with burnt rubber, capsicum and ozone. The spicy, slightly porty palate opens with ripe fruit and some soy sauce, mint, capsicum, and a huge, tannic finish. As evidenced by the colour, the youngest wine of the group and incredibly immature. Not unexpectedly needs more cellaring time.
My ranking: =5th place
Panel ranking: =6th place
Votes: 1 most, 3 second & third, 2 least
1990 Dorrien Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky red/brick colour. A ripe, sweet and slightly porty nose of varnish, chocolate, and like the 1991 gorgeous roasted nuts with breathing. The palate opens with sweet, dark Barossa chocolate, soft, slushy red fruits and tannins, finishing with superb length. I was amazed that I ranked the Dorriens one and two in a superb group featuring some Coonawarra standouts; maybe I was influenced by the 2002 Barossa Cabernets the previous fortnight?
My ranking: 2nd place
Panel ranking: =6th place
Votes: 2 most, 1 second & third, 2 least
1991 Rosemount Show Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky red/brick colour. A meaty and exotic nose of mint, ozone, and with breathing a heavy amount of nail-polish remover (EA). The palate is just as savoury, with licorice, meaty/minty fruit, some banana, molasses, medicinal and sour cherry characters. The big, fine tannins provided good length, but the large extraction of what appears to be closed canopy fruit mixed with an equally large oak injection hasn’t served it well over time. Despite some high rankings, this managed to be voted a clear last overall.
My ranking: 8th place
Panel ranking: 9th place
Votes: 1 most, 2 second & third, 6 least
Cheers
Ian
TN: Blacktongues 1990/1991 Cabernets 16/3/05
TN: Blacktongues 1990/1991 Cabernets 16/3/05
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.