TNs: 1986 Wynns Black, John Riddoch, Yarra Yering, Jac Ridg

[Baby Chickpea]

<b>1986 Yarra Yering Yarra Valley #1 (Cabernets)</b>
12.5% A/V. Mid red hues with brown tinges. Still very deep purple in glass (excellent clarity). Bouquet is quite deep black fruits, some oak, subtle green olives, acid spike and overt VA. Palate has not really thrown off its hard tannin core. Slightly unbalanced – good fruit but not enough to counteract rich oak. Very good length but finishes with coarse tannin. Palate reveals (in time) spicy black fruits (plums), obvious wood and plenty of acid. After two hours, meshed together better and structure improved. Fruit a touch short. Won’t get any better but will last. A great vintage but unlikely to shed its hard backbone. <b>Very Good 17.5 / 20</b>

<b>1986 Orlando Jacaranda Ridge Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon</b>
11.5% A/V. Mid red bit brown evident. Nose is incredibly sweet strawberries and some residual alcohol hotness. Palate is light-bodied – very easy to skull this. Little hint of development and barely any fruit, oak or tannin resonances. Almost like a rosé. Yet there is something very appealing about the wine. One day later in an open glass, it was exactly the same! A very strange wine that has lasted and is beautifully integrated, but perhaps lacking some weight and concentration.
<b>Very Good 17.0 / 20</b>

<b>1986 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon [Black Label]</b>
12.6% A/V. Mid red. Smoky nose, with dry blackcurrants, classic cedar box, hint of capsicum (but not green). Very good length and body - slight ‘hole’ in middle. Nice balance but some alcohol evident (even after two hours in decanter). Has good intensity and is classically dry, almost textbook left bank Bordeaux. Appears at its peak but will plateau for at least 3 years IMO. Perhaps a tad tough overall but clearly top wine. <b>Very Good 17.5.0 / 20</b>

<b>1986 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon</b>
13.5% A/V. Mid to deeper red – no browns but hard to tell in a dimly lit restaurant. Bouquet? Fabulous stuff! Huge black fruits (blackcurrants, cherries, exceptionally rich plums), tar essence and dark chocolate. Almost flawless nose – barely a hint of alcohol or oak or ‘greenness’. Palate is almost the exact replica of the nose. Huge. Concentrated. Superb length – massive and intense palate of cherries, plums, cassis, tasty oak, finishing with silky smooth tannins. Essence of cabernet. Secondary development just starting to evolve with rainforest characters. A beautifully structured wine in every respect. The handling of the 18 months in oak is refined. When this first came out, I honestly couldn’t justify the premium in price over the Black label (given the minute difference in quality). But it is now moving up several gears while the Black struggles to evolve. Tastes barely 5-6 years old. From Chocky (aka Liz; my g/f): “a ballet [Black] vs. an orchestra [Riddoch]”. Pure cabernet essence. I have never been too keen on the 84 and 85 (shipped them off to auction), and the 88 is surprisingly very good out of magnum (I have never had the much heralded 82), but this wine hits all the right notes in great vintage. This is brilliant stuff and one of the best Oz cabs I have ever drunk – I would love to compare this to an 86 Bordeaux. Has many years to go and if it hasn’t reached its peak it is certainly very close. <b>Grand Vin! 19.0 / 20</b>

[simm]

Thanks for the notes Danny. We will have to find a reason to crack one of my JR 82's then, won't we?

cheers,