phillisc wrote: ↑Fri Jun 07, 2024 10:02 am
mjs wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2024 11:40 pm
12 x 2022 Wynns Black Label Cabernet
1 x Wynns 2024 Icon pack (6 btls)
Annual Wynns Day order. More BL to come in 6 mths time
Wynns Day release dinner with Sarah Pidgeon this week in Adelaide at Fugazzi. Who else is going?
Fabulous evening last night, delicious food and a range of wonderful wines...2021 John Riddoch is stratospheric!
Will provide a full write up over the weekend
Cheers Craig
A very good evening, just 30 or so of us in the Fugazzi basement private space. A good range of small bites followed by a number of nice Italian inspired dishes, unfortunately no PX on offer to go with the chocolate desert, or perhaps a cheese platter would have been the go with so much red wine.
Hosted by Chris Plummer, who has been part of the winemaking team for 4-5 years now and Cath Kidman, viticulturist who took over the reins from long time stalwart Allan Jenkins. Cath gave some fabulous insights, on soil, irrigation, climate and reinforced that the 2021/22 La Nina conditions were perfect for long even ripening and that both vintages are standouts.
Started with a 2023 Riesling, which I must buy more of, delicious, delicate, floral with lovely acidity, at $12 great VFM.
Two 2022 V&As, a straight Shiraz, which was pleasant, but I found a little thin and lacking and died on the palate. The Cabernet/Shiraz on the other hand was a lovely wine reminiscent of those old style Claret blends, depth, flavour and a very smooth finish, very very good. These wines are the first picked, low alcohol and a nice contrast to the more full bodied offerings.
2021 Messenger single vineyard. Very good representation, Wynns clearly have so many parcels to choose from, great classical Coonawarra nose, all dark fruits, seamless integration of oak, very concentrated black core, with melting tannins. Fantastic and picked up a sixer.
A pair of 2022 BLs, the Shiraz for me took the points, wonderful nose, faint cherry, spice and blueberry, such a silky mouth feel, reflecting a sleek cool climate profile, rounding out with bags of flavour...tannins lingered for ages. This wine is drawn from the original 1895 Undooliya vineyard plantings from John Riddoch, really good wine.
The Cabernet was excellent too, and debate will rage between the 2021/22 offerings on which is best. Black in colour, blueberry, black berry, oak nicely intertwined, a bit of olive. A fabulous drink and credit to the team, how they get this consistency in a 100, 000 dozen make is remarkable really.
2021 John Riddoch, wine of the night for me, although agree with Malcolm, splitting hairs between this and the Michael. Had a glass and then a second glass which I sat on for 30 minutes, constantly evolving, rich waves of fruit, a bit of dark chocolate, mocha, oak playing a supporting role, fine pencil shavings, absolute cracker of a wine. Hope there are sharp prices in the offering.
2021 Michael, a step up from the BL Shiraz, deepest black/blue colour, a little cherry, spice, earthy, brooding and really intense. A palate like a magic carpet ride, so so smooth, not a harsh edge in sight, as with all wines, no green, no acid. This and the JR are 30-40 year propositions...a pair of stunning wines.
Sean, just a side note. Wynnsday is purely a TWE marketing gimmick, a shadow of days gone by. It has nothing to do with the Wynnsday's that took place in the 90s, where pubs across the country linked into a live tasting held at the winery, hosted one year by George Negus of all people!
The Edinburgh in Adelaide would do tutored tastings and an annual 4-5 course lunch with unlimited wines...some of these events I can't remember getting home from! I am thankful that there are considerations of finally offering a annual dinner in Adelaide, as most recent events have been in Sydney/Melbourne.
I recently spoke to a few DM managers and the release is no big deal, they make a note of it on their website, but after a few days, punters have moved on.
Its probably why there has been so much cheap 2021 BL Cabernet floating around, as there is a lot of wine to shift these days.
12 wines in the core range most years now, plus some peripheral recently introduced experimental wines (aka rubbish).
The JR will be released in September, is now on some Bordeaux Classification register (another opportunity for TWE to pump the bags!).
Cheers Craig
.. although I did wonder why the humble auswine forum was planning such radical activity