Last week the Adelaide Fine Wine Appreciation Club (AFWAC) had a tasting of a 14 vintage vertical of a selection of Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from 1965 onwards hosted by winemaker Greg Tilbrook. I’d like to thank Phil and everyone there again for another interesting and well organised event; AFWAC meets the last Monday of every month, and anyone in Adelaide who’s interested in joining and/or attending as a guest can contact the club at afwac365@gmail.com
1965 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): Sourced directly from Wynns from a batch that had been refilled and re-corked back in 2005, topped up only with the spare bottles from that vintage. I had been told how good this wine was when Nayan tried it at the Southcorp roadshow a couple of years ago, and this bottle lived up to those high expectations. Incredible medium to very dark red colour with no sign of bricking. Like the colour the nose is just as unbelievably fresh and young with just the faintest whiff of VA lift, full of sweet cassis and herbs, mineral and earth, then gradually changing with whiffs of truffle, tobacco, earth and capsicum. The palate’s just as fresh and complex with a lovely, chewy but perfectly balanced structure that defies its age, suggesting there’s a few more years left to enjoy this beauty. What a wine to start with, many including myself were left wondering what could possibly top it?
1967 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): Light to medium brick/red. Sweeter nose than the ‘65, full of coffee grounds and mocha/chocolate, truffle and just a whiff of barnyard, the fruit riper with strawberry jam/mulberries and molasses. Likewise the palate’s just as sweet, much lighter and more developed than the ’65 with bright, sweet cherries and vanilla/coffee, finishing long and chewy but also just a little metallic and dry with breathing. While lost in the shadow of the ’65, this was still quite a marvellous old wine still drinking well at the end of its life.
1970 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Light to medium brick/red. Stocky/earthy and mineraly nose that’s also a little metallic; the palate’s still alive but only just, the fruit much lighter weight than the two older magnums and the finish very dry. Still drinkable with vague hints of the ’65 & ’67, but it’s not in the same league and all downward going from here.
1976 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium brick/tawny. Not surprisingly the nose and palate are completely maderised; Greg was particularly disappointed with this bottle, as a recent one tried at Wynns was fresh and full of mint. We were told this was obtained from auction with a few other bottles of ’76 & ’70 in the same lot – the ‘70s & one bottle of ’76 were fine, but apparently the other ‘76’s were also oxidised.
1986 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Light to medium red/brick. Lifted, herbal nose full of lovely spices, dried chillies/paprika, tart blackberries, peppermint and ashtray, then completely changing to reveal equally lovely dark chocolate/date characters. The palate’s big, chewy and spicy with contrasts of cool wintergreen, white pepper and black liquorice, perfectly balanced and drinking very, very well.
1988 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Light to almost medium red/brick. An interesting immediate contrast to the ’86 with sweeter fruit and oak influences, more chocolate/truffle, sweet cassis, tobacco and cherry ripe characters. I can’t help thinking this has similarities to the John Riddoch too, with very sweet cassis matched to a very soft, velvety structure and just a hint of banana oak, finishing chewy and just a touch dry. A very different style to the ’86 which I marginally preferred, but still another lovely wine in its own right.
1991 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to very dark, glass-clinging red. A little stocky on the nose at first with dark, toasty blackberries and liquorice, gradually revealing sweet cedar and red berries, cigar box and ashtray, then constantly changing with time. The length and structure of the palate is amazing, choc-full of sweet fruit and oak but also incredibly tight and coiled, like a panther waiting to pounce from the shadows. A stunning wine, much better than my last bottle and would have been my WOTN in a top field if it wasn’t for that glorious ’65 magnum.
1990 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to very dark blood red. Two bottles were corked so it was a case of third time lucky, although unfortunately that meant it was opened on the spot and didn’t get the equivalent breathing time as the ‘91. A little stocky/stinky to begin with, but with a little patience it begins to reveal its potential, showing hints of ashtray, mineral, cedar and capsicum among the dense red berry fruit. The palate looked a little unbalanced right now compared to the ’91, a big bang of fruit upfront leading to a peppery/stocky mid-palate, the finish very long with considerable tannins coated in dense fruit. Outgunned tonight by its younger sibling, although maybe it just needs the equivalent breathing time or more cellar time to seriously challenge it.
1993 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to dark blood/red with a bricking rim. Jammy nose at first, gradually becoming quite stocky/leathery with breathing; likewise the palate was dry and stocky and showing signs of oxidation, with vague remnants of some herbs/blackcurrant in the distance. I asked whether Greg if he felt this was a faulty bottle or what he expected from the vintage – he said other bottles he tried were just as advanced, and thought this was representative.
1995 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Light to medium brick red. A very strange nose, herbal but very ripe and very stinky/gluey, sweet liquorice/cherry cola and rubbery aromas evolve; lightweight/watery palate with green tinges, tannic but the finish is drying out fast. This looked much better on its own a few years ago, but shows all the signs of a dud vintage in this lot.
1996 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum): Dark to inky blood red. It’s immature, especially in the magnum format, but there’s already echoes of the ’91 here, the nose full of dark, earthy berries, black cherries and tobacco, the palate beautifully structured, perfectly balanced and super-long. Despite being so young and stuffed with gum-draining tannin it still somehow seems delightfully elegant, the stereotypical iron fist in a velvet glove. My third best of the night after the ’65 and ’91, but given enough time it will overtake these too and possibly flirt with perfection.
2001 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark to inky blood red. The nose has finally shaken off that toasty oak of its youth and now looks perfectly in place in this line up, full of earthy, sweet cassis/black cherries and mint. The palate’s also very smart, still medium-weight but has a good core of sweet fruit matched to an elegant, chewy structure with some lovely tobacco characters in the finish. I’ve never really rated this vintage so this was a pleasant surprise for me, clearly the best of the final three wines although I still feel it’s a medium-term cellar prospect.
2003 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to darkish red. There’s still attractive mint, liquorice and tobacco on the nose, and ribena fruit and dried herbs on the palate which is well balanced but disturbingly lightweight in this group. I really liked this wine’s elegance when it was released, but on this form it looks to be developing very fast, too fast, looking more like a drink now prospect before it follows the path of the ‘95.
2005 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Screwcap): Dark to inky red. The nose is simple and sweet with stewed/jammy cherries and reeks of alcohol warmth; the palate’s not much better, a watery but raisiny entry leading to a medium-weight palate that’s too alcoholic and short, an impression that worsens with breathing. In this vertical the wine looked nothing short of ugly, and I seriously doubt it will develop into something special with cellar age.
The overall votes for the best wine:
1965 - 1st 8 votes
1991 =2nd 3 votes
1996 =2nd 3 votes
1986 =4th 1 vote
1990 =4th 1 vote
Cheers
Ian
TN: AFWAC - Wynns Cabernet 1965-2005 Vertical 30/6/08
TN: AFWAC - Wynns Cabernet 1965-2005 Vertical 30/6/08
Last edited by n4sir on Tue Nov 18, 2014 4:14 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
Ian,
Well-cellared magnums of both 66 and 71 are considerably better than the 65!!! (IMHO)
Also missing from the group and drinking well - albeit never stellar, is the 94, which is one of our quaffers at home at present.
98 needs at least another couple of years to enter its window, and 99 is more similar to 91 than 90.
having tasted BL on release for many decades, I was expecting a bit more form the 05 - and ended up NOT buying despite many favourable reports.
Particularly with cabernet, taste on release but then forget about them as they go through a far more extreme hibernation process than say shiraz, as you know...
In good years I buy quite a number of dozen of BL - and in other vintages -none these days!
regards
Well-cellared magnums of both 66 and 71 are considerably better than the 65!!! (IMHO)
Also missing from the group and drinking well - albeit never stellar, is the 94, which is one of our quaffers at home at present.
98 needs at least another couple of years to enter its window, and 99 is more similar to 91 than 90.
having tasted BL on release for many decades, I was expecting a bit more form the 05 - and ended up NOT buying despite many favourable reports.
Particularly with cabernet, taste on release but then forget about them as they go through a far more extreme hibernation process than say shiraz, as you know...
In good years I buy quite a number of dozen of BL - and in other vintages -none these days!
regards
fred wrote:Ian,
Well-cellared magnums of both 66 and 71 are considerably better than the 65!!! (IMHO)
Also missing from the group and drinking well - albeit never stellar, is the 94, which is one of our quaffers at home at present.
98 needs at least another couple of years to enter its window, and 99 is more similar to 91 than 90.
having tasted BL on release for many decades, I was expecting a bit more form the 05 - and ended up NOT buying despite many favourable reports.
Particularly with cabernet, taste on release but then forget about them as they go through a far more extreme hibernation process than say shiraz, as you know...
In good years I buy quite a number of dozen of BL - and in other vintages -none these days!
regards
Greg said the '66 was another cracker but it's also extremely rare, so we weren't lucky enough to see that one.
'04 was supposed to be in this tasting but unfortunately the club discovered they didn't have any bottles at the last second, and couldn't source them in time. I thought '82, '94, '98, and '99 would have been very worthy inclusions, but I guess there had to be a limit drawn somewhere.
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
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Mike Hawkins
- Posts: 2747
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A shame about the 76. I've had it a few times in the past 5 years and all bottles were superb - better than the 86, 90 and 91 which I really like. The 94, as stated above, is also a good drop - definitely under-rated.
Glad your 88 was good. I've found this one to be a bit hit and miss on the occasions I've tried it.
Mike
Glad your 88 was good. I've found this one to be a bit hit and miss on the occasions I've tried it.
Mike
On your recommendation I opened a 2003 last night so that I could drink it before it dropped. I found initially it was a little dry with the cigar box tannins interfering with the fruit but after a couple of hours they sort of balanced a bit until maybe 3 - 4 hours after starting and nearing the end of the bottle, I was pleasantly surprised how elegant the wine became. Having had a number of these tastings (WBL) in the 1980's I was always surprised how long these wines lasted - I hope that Wynn's isn't doing anything to change that...
Trying one of my 03 BLs Ian. I would have to agree with your note. Quite light in style, but still attractive. Can't see it powering on like many of the others.
I actually think the 02, which seems quite underrated, is a longer term keeper. A year or so ago, it was quite austere and violetty but I think it's opened up a bit and will hold longer than the 03 at least.
I actually think the 02, which seems quite underrated, is a longer term keeper. A year or so ago, it was quite austere and violetty but I think it's opened up a bit and will hold longer than the 03 at least.
Cheers
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Wayno
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
I had a bottle of the 93 BL on the weekend. This was showing very well. It had dusty blackcurrant characters on the nose, and was still showing primary fruit characters on the palate with cedary complexity. Tannins were still firmish.
One of our group picked it blind as a Wynns BL (the theme was as broad as "SA reds"), but thought it was around 8-9 years old. I didn't taste it blind- it was my bottle. I have one bottle left and don't think I need to rush it.
One of our group picked it blind as a Wynns BL (the theme was as broad as "SA reds"), but thought it was around 8-9 years old. I didn't taste it blind- it was my bottle. I have one bottle left and don't think I need to rush it.
"It is very hard to make predictions, especially about the future." Samuel Goldwyn
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Waiters Friend
- Posts: 2782
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- Location: Perth WA
I'm looking at drinking my remaining 2003s before many of the others. I agree that 2001 seems to be an under-rated vintage to start off with, and I will crack one of my 2001s soon to test.
I always thought 1994 was a 'shadow' vintage. 1990 got a lot of gongs, then 1996, but 1994 seemed to be overlooked (and was definitely the best of the intermediate vintages in most of Australia - WA excepted). I'm considering opening a 1994 BL for Christmas Eve, and would like some advice on the wisdom of doing so.
I always thought 1994 was a 'shadow' vintage. 1990 got a lot of gongs, then 1996, but 1994 seemed to be overlooked (and was definitely the best of the intermediate vintages in most of Australia - WA excepted). I'm considering opening a 1994 BL for Christmas Eve, and would like some advice on the wisdom of doing so.
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
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Waiters Friend
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- Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 4:09 am
- Location: Perth WA
