Cabernet longevity

[Grand Cru]

This was a Shadrach comment on the Adelaide Offline post that I think is worthy of it's own discussion.

With Shadrach being WOTN, perhaps I should have been there! Interesting that a 13 yo and a 17yo Cabernet were probably the best wines of the night. I have always contended that Cabernet is the variety to cellar long term as their ageing potential far outweighs Shiraz. With the odd exception such as Majella cabernet, I have also thought that Coonawarra cabernets should not be drunk under 8 years old. Any one agree?

I usually prefer Shiraz as a young wine but quality Cabernet does it for me as a mature wine. I have a lot of Coonawarra and a lesser amount of Margaret River in my cellar and agree with Shadrach, 7-8 years and they're starting to hum but many are glorious at a far greater age.

1990, 1991 & 1993 Coonwarra Cabernets are now at their peak, 1994 & 1996 still some way to go. 1995 Margaret Rivers are still short of their peak and but looking great.

I'm finding even significant Shiraz labels from these vintages do not hold the same allure as the Cabernets.

The handful of 2004 Coonawarra Cabernet I've tried so far, Bowen, Wynns, Balnaves, Majella, Katnook, point to this being an excellent vintage. dlo, I feel the 2004 Bowen is the best keeper from that estate for a decade.

Margaret River just keeps turning on good vintages and other than the signal labels, a number of smaller producers are worth looking at, like Woodlands and Brown Hill. Longevity in this region too.

[Wycroft]

I would tend to agree with your assertions, in particular the need to give Aussie cabernet 7 or 8 years, as I find the grip and the menthol/mint/eucaplyt notes need time to resolve before the wines become a very easy drink.

I think you're probably right about long term cellaring too, with cabernet offering more interest as a very old wine. My palate is turning toward caberent, and away from shiraz, with age. But, give me a good blend of the two any day. I think the cabernet/shiraz blend is Australia's biggest gift to the wine world. The two so often marry very beautifully, and I wish there were more producers of the blend. However I expect it's a tough one to sell overseas, where people with a bit of knowledge know the two varietals as being largely their own both regionally and (the classic Rhone and Bordeaux blends of each aside) in the bottle.

But anyway, I'm rambling away from your interesting thread.