Grand Cru (Perth) Wine Tasting group. “Cabernet Is King” 19 April 2017

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

The theme for this month’s Grand Cru tasting was Cabernet Sauvignon. I know that ‘straight’ Cabernet Sauvignon can contain up to 15% of other grape varieties under Australian labelling laws, but this was the theme we went for. No wines contaminated (well, only a little perhaps) by Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, or Carmenere were permitted.

Although this wasn’t ‘officially’ the plan, there was a broad hint put out to not bring Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River or Coonawarra, as this had been the subject of a previous tasting this time last year (see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15080&p=133262&hilit=margaret+river+vs+coonawarra#p133262). We opted to broaden the field a little, and did not restrict it to Australia either. Some of the wines were, therefore, surprising. It was commented before we started that perhaps, instead of “Cabernet Is King” it might end up as “Is Cabernet King”?

As usual, I’ll start with the disclaimer that these notes are a composition of the group’s comments, and not just my opinion.

Wines were tasted blind, with the only information being the vintage. We tasted from youngest to oldest. I must admit to commencing with a little trepidation, as young cabernet can be pretty hard to take …….

Vineyard 28 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014: This is from a small producer near Myalup, in the Geographe region of WA, and well north of Margaret River. Purple in colour, youthful and bright, it opens with ripe blackberry and spicy oak. It’s a little dusty, with dried Italian herbs (Masterfoods, apparently) and tomato leaf. The palate is medium bodied, quite obviously fruity with fine tannins and high acid. Although the nose was described as varietally correct, the palate didn’t have a lot of depth, especially at the front, and the group suspects this will not age especially well.

Manns Wines Solaris Shinshu Higashiyama Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (Japan): Yes, you read correctly. The label was both in English and Japanese. Deep purple in colour, with a slightly tawny rim. Initially tarry on the nose, with leather and a slight medicinal note, this settled into vanilla, coffee grounds and savoury developed characters, without much primary fruit. The palate reflects the lack of obvious fruit, with dry chalky tannins, a little choc / mocha, and high acid. There was also disagreement among the tasters as to whether the finish was long or short. One thing we agreed about (before the label was revealed) – it wasn’t Australian!

Rockford Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (Barossa Valley): Deep purple in colour. Powerful nose of blackberry, blackcurrant, mint, and mulberries, supported by vanillin oak. One taster described the nose as being similar to semi ripe cabernet grapes (off the vine). The palate is medium to full bodied, with silky / dusty tannins dark plums, and a more filled-out mid palate than the previous wines. There’s a touch of alcohol heat. This showed the best structure of the three wines so far, and should improve with age.

Peel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (Geographe): Purple in colour, with a massive and complex nose of ripe dark fruits, menthol, tobacco, dried herbs (Masterfoods not specified this time), violets, fennel and aniseed. This is a full-bodied wine, quite intense, with ripe and stewed dark fruits, some alcohol heat, and good acid, indicating a long life ahead (one taster estimated to 2030). There’s lots of drying tannins, brambles, and a wine term emerged that I was unfamiliar with – “gloopy”. If you think of moderate viscosity, it sort of makes sense.

Jane Brook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Margaret River): The wine is made at the Swan Valley estate, so we let the taster off for bringing a Margaret River wine. Purple in colour, no bricking, the nose has lots of oak and rich cigar-box aromas, overshadowing the developed blueberries and dark fruits. There’s also capsicum, and some greenness about the wine (surprising, given 2007 was a warm year). It’s medium to full bodied, with lots of fruit on the palate (in contradiction to the nose). There’s drying tannins, and a little astringency on the back palate. Good to drink now, but probably won’t improve.

Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria): Purple in colour, surprisingly deep for a 12-year-old wine. Rich confected fruit met the nose, along with mint and coconut. There’s also slight yeast and meatiness in an otherwise developed fruit nose. The palate is medium to full bodied, and flavourful – the developed fruits continue across the palate with a velvety mouthfeel and chewy tannins. One taster commented on the fruit sweetness he associates with older Australian reds. A couple of tasters thought they spotted a hint of Brett, and a couple of other tasters thought this was a good thing.

The Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was Wine of the Night over the Rockford Rifle Range 2013.

As far as the question of whether Cabernet is King …. well ….. we didn’t definitively answer that question. But we’ll keep tasting in search of an answer.

Cheers
Allan