Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

                                                          The slightly modernized label

2018 was a relatively mild vintage in Margaret River with a long ripening period. So what is going on with this 2018 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon? It has the usual dark colour, and is black fruited. The wine is very concentrated and ripe, but the soft mulberry flavours are missing; the muskiness is missing. This wine lacks charm.

On the plus side, the wine shows cedar and smoky flavours for complexity, and the wine has a long finish. However, it feels a bit hot and alcoholic (14.5%).

I am not sure if one should drink it now or keep. I do not see much potential for improvement.

Score: 92/0
 

Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon

 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon can be magic: boysenberry flavours, smooth mouthfeel, silky tannins. Unfortunately, these wines, particularly from the valley floor, are often overripe. In response, a number of wineries  headed for the hills. And then you have the opposite issue. Enter the 2019 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon.

2019 was a cool vintage. And despite this wine coming from the valley floor, the blackcurrant flavours are overshadowed by herbal notes. While the wine avoids the gap in the mid palate, it delivers quite a coarse mouthfeel. The finish is quite long, but a bit harsh and not totally pleasant.

Score : 87/0

PS: We all know that Napa Cabernet is expensive. I only buy the occasional bottles from airport duty free stores.

Langton's Classification Tasting, Part 2

                                                            There was a lot of space

There were big surprises for me in the main red categories of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Of the 14 Shiraz wines I tasted, the 2018 Henschke Hill of Grace narrowly won out. It is a very elegant and silky wine, which goes on and on. But the next two wines in the top category were the big surprises. I have not tasted these for probably 10 years. This will now change. The 2019 Castagna Genesis Syrah from Beechworth is incredibly aromatic, with a medium body. Violets, spices, a little musk, all beautifully integrated with smooth tannins. And then there was the 2022 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz. This wine is fresh, balanced, and super smooth. The finish is very long. When I tasted this brand many years ago, I found it sometimes a bit heavy and worked. None of that in this wine.

In the next category I have the Rockford Basket Press, which was similar on the palate to the Brokenwood, just a bit sweeter. Then there is the 2020 Sami-Odi Hoffmann Dallwitz Shiraz from one of the most famous and very hot vineyards in the Barossa. This is a dark, big and slightly sweet wine, yet well made and balanced. The blackberry fruit stands out. And finally the 2018 Henschke Mt. Edelstone, also a very dark wine, complex, with mocca notes and some sweetness. These three wines a good examples of Barossa Shiraz, big wines, but well made.

Very different wines appear at the next level. There is the highly regarded 2018 Penfolds Grange. This wine is massive in its fruit weight. At this point, it is quite oaky and sweet. I can only judge what I taste now, but it is likely that in 10 years time different elements of this wine will come together better. It is the first time I tasted the 2023 Serrat Shiraz/Viognier from the Yarra Valley. I enjoyed the aromatics and the quality of the fruit, and found the wine slightly more appealing than the Yarra Yering Dry Red No.2 Shiraz. I also rated Sami-Odi's Little Wine #12 in this category. It is a blend of vintages from 2015 to 2022.

In the final category are the disappointments. Chris Ringland is known for making extra ripe, high alcohol wines. The 2016 Chris Ringland Dry Grown Shiraz, the current release, is no exception. The wine tastes like port and a wine from a bygone era. The other two Shiraz which disappointed me, surprisingly, were cool climate wines from Victoria. The 2019 Craiglee Shiraz was sweet and oaky, and lacked structure. I also expected much much from the 2021 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz. It is a big and alcoholic wine.

Now to the 12 Cabernets I tasted. Two aspects turn me off with Cabernet; when the capsicum flavours and other herbal flavours are too strong, and when there is a hole mid-palate. Overall, the category was not as strong as Shiraz.

The 2021 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon stood out among this group. This is a wine with depth of fruit, very rounded, but not overripe, a lot of complexity and balance. Outstanding!

In the second group are a number of wines from different regions and with very different characteristics. The 2018 Wynns John Riddoch shows beautiful terra rossa red fruit, and is balanced with chalky tannins. It will live a long time. The 2021 Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 Cabernet delivers a full, satisfying mouthfeel. It is well balanced and quite long. The 2023 Lake's Folly Cabernet is very young, but promising, with good fruit and an excellent structure.  The 2020 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon has a similar profile to the Moss Wood, not surprising given its proximity. The intensity is just one notch down. The last wine in this group is the 2018 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine surprised by being quite light on its feet, with excellent balance and oak treatment.

The third group includes two wines which are better judged 10 years from now. The 2022 Mount Mary Quintet is simply not very distinctive right now. It is long in the mouth. A recent vertical tasting showed that this wine takes time to come into its own. The 2022 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the darkest black colour of any wine I have ever seen! It is very dense and complex, with blackcurrant and mocca flavours standing out. Then there is the Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a bit of a hole mid-palate, and I could not rate it as highly as the Cape Mentelle. 

 In the group of disappointments I found the Yeringberg Cabernet Blend. I normally rate this estate highly, but this wine is surprisingly tannic, and the fruit does not stand up to it. Leeuwin's long march to create a Cabernet Sauvignon of equal standing to the Chardonnay is still an ongoing objective, I suggest. The 2021 Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon has a strong capsicum flavour, and yet the alcohol is noticeable - not a nice combination. Finally, the 2021 Balnaves The Tally Cabernet Sauvignon sufferrs a similar fate - quite green and capsicum laden.

This is a long post. The descriptions are brief, I had a lot of ground to cover. Hopefully the notes are still valuable for you.

Penfolds Collection 2024

 

                                        

The Penfolds Collection now consists of 22 wines. It is difficult to taste them all. I had an opportunity to taste 9 of these wines. The biggest omissions were St. Henri (small volume?), Bin 707, RWT, the premium Chardonnays, and the French wines.

An overall impression of the red wines is that they seem to be fresher and more energetic than in the past. The influence of new oak is more subdued, and overall the wines are quite drinkable straight away.

I was not too impressed with the white wines I tasted. The 2024 Bin 51 Riesling from Eden Valley was quite broad (90 points). The 2023 Bin 311 is actually quite complex on the palate expressing citrus, white nectarine, strike match and almond flavours. The Penfols notes give more than 10 flavours, but somehow the wine did not grab me as some previous vintages have (92 points).

Of the entry level red wines, the 2023 Bin 23 Grenache was a real revelation. Many Grenaches are too big and too fruity, but this wine is quite restrained. It is medium-bodied, with raspberry flavours and a touch of bubblegum sweetness, only a touch. The mouthfeel is quite velvety and the finish is long - a very attractive wine (94 points). The 2022 Bin 28 Shiraz, the Penfolds workhorse, is pure and plummy, but the finish is short (92 points). 

The American wines are from the wildfires impacted 2021 vintage. The Bin 600 is this curious combination of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and  15% South Australian Shiraz. Despite the Shiraz component, I felt the hole on the mid-palate. The Cabernet component not very strong. The wine has an earthy taste and the finish is medium (91 points). The 2021 Bin 704 is Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This is quite a big wine, but it has acidity to match. This is an intense and tannic wine, but it is in balance (93 points).

The 2022 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet grapes from all major regions of South Australia is quite a step up. It is a fresh wine with good drive, representing the vintage. The cooler year defines this wine. It is much leaner than in previous years, again with a bit of a gap in the middle. However, it is a well constructed wine with good balance (92 points). The 2022 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is quite a step up. The wine is quite fresh, with good drive, showing the characteristics of the vintage.  Blackberry, plum, and mulberry flavours deliver a satisfying mouthfeel. The key feature to me is the very long finish. This wine will benefit from ageing, no doubt (95 points).

Grange; what can you say that has not been said already. this is the 2020 Grange. The first impression; you can actually drink this wine on release and enjoy it. Given the unparalleled grape resources available to Penfolds, it is not surprising that the variability from year to year is quite low. So you expect the wine to be powerful and ripe, which it is, with licorice and dark chocolate flavours adding to the fruit. However, this is not an outstanding Grange, when measured against other vintages. What is missing is the detailed layering you find in the best vintages. Did the 2020 bush fires have an influence? (96 points).

Overall, Penfolds is heading in the right direction with this release. Some key wines were missing in this tasting, so a complete assessment will have to wait.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon

 Virginia Willcock, the long standing winemaker of Vasse Felix, has been in the top echelon of Australian winemaking for quite some time. She has raised the quality of every wine in the portfolio year after year. This has recently been recognized by Wine Spectator, when the 2021 Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon has been named the second best value wine in the world of last year. This Cabernet, which has some Malbec blended into it to fill out the mid palate, gets the royal treatment, and this for $25-30 per bottle; wild yeast fermentation and 11 months maturation in French oak barrels.

This is a really enjoyable wine. The red currant juicy fruit shows great purity and depth. Some tobacco and herbal flavours lurk in the background. This is a bright and elegant wine saying 'Look at me'. The wine fills the mouth nicely, and the firm tannins suggest good ageability. The finish is medium, not detracting from the vibrant fruit of the wine.

Score: 93/+++

  

Don Melchor

 It has been a long time between drinks, drinks of Don Melchor that is. My last taste of Chile’s Grange was over 20 years ago, but yesterday I allowed myself a bottle of the 2020 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. Like Penfolds in Treasury Wine Estates, Don Melchor has become a separate identity within Concha y Toro.

The wine is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon. Red and black currant flavours, as well as blue fruits (the Cabernet Franc influence?) deliver a complex profile on the palate. The wine is quite concentrated and generous in the mouth. A stony element keeps it energetic. The wine has substantial fruit weight, but not as much as Grange. It is a majestic and elegant wine. The racy acidity delivers good energy. The firm tannins are substantial and very dry, leading to a medium plus finish.

Based on this bottle, Don Melchor deserves the status of the classically fashioned top wine of Chile.

Score: 96/+++

Chateau Tanunda

 The last time I drank Chateau Tanunda wines was about ten years ago in preparation for my book. I had not been impressed. In fact, I found it totally puzzling how this winery could collect so many medals in big shows overseas. I thought the grounds of the Chateau are the highlight - and they are really magnificent.

Recently, I had an opportunity to taste three wines from their bamboozling range. The first wine, from the Terroirs of the Barossa series was the 2019 Chateau Tanunda Ebenezer Shiraz. This is a full-bodied wine, quite ripe, the ironstone soil reflected on the palate. This is a red fruited wine, quite tannic, only just within the envelop of what I regard as an acceptable expression of dry red wine. This wine is very concentrated and could certainly have been more elegant (90/0 points).

The other two wines were from Bethany, which features black biscay soil, not really ideal for growing quality wine. (I note Bethany Wines is up for sale.) The 2019 50 Year Old Vines Shiraz is very dark. Blackberry and chocolate flavours are matched with coarse tannins. Again, a concentrated wine lacking elegance (90/0 points).

The last wine was the 2019 50 Year Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was overripe, oaky, and quite sweet. The chocolate flavours could not match this impression. The wine had a coarse finish (86/-- points).

I am happy not to taste Chateau Tanunda for another ten years.  

2023 Penfolds Collection

 What Penfolds presents in August is quite a collection these days: 25 wines in fact. In addition, there is a Chinese wine (not available in Australia yet), and some cheaper wines, such as the terribly named Max wines.

I taste nine of their new releases at a new event, Penfolds Transcend. The wines are narrated on screen by Steph Dutton, Penfold's red winemaker, who will succeed Peter Gago, in my view. It was efficient and worked well. 

The 2023 Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling is a good Riesling with white flower aromas, and citrus and melon flavours. The wine has good drive and a mineral finish, a well executed, typical Riesling from Eden Valley (92 points).

The 2022 Reserve Bin A from the Adelaide Hills can be funky and spectacular in some years. This is not one of those. Apple blossom notes on the nose are followed by apple custard and pear flavours. This is quite a soft, opulent wine with good length and a wet stone finish (92 points).

The 2022 Bin 23 Pinot Noir is now exclusively made from Tasmanian fruit. There are quite a few flavours on the palate like strawberry, dark and sour cherry, cranberry. The key feature, however, are the firm dry tannins. This wine is not yet quite in the Penfolds DNA (92 points).

Then we come to the 2021 Bin 28 Shiraz, Penfold's workhorse. This is a rich wine with plum and mocca flavours, a bit of five spice as well. The core of this robust wine is quite sweet and juicy (93 points).

The 2020 FWT (French Wine Trial) 585 is a Bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon dominant. Blackberry, chocolate and licorice are the dominant flavours. There are savoury notes as well. Overall, the mouthfeel is soft and a little lean: more Bordeaux than Penfolds (92 points). 

The Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley is the much more powerful wine of course. It has excellent blackberry fruit purity. It has great balance between fruit and savoury flavours and finishes on fine grained tannins (94 points).

An absolute highlight was the 2021 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. There are layers of dark berries; blueberry, blackberry, mulberry. Roasted meat flavours and spice add to complexity. The wine is seamless between the Cabernet and the Shiraz fruit, and fruit and savoury flavours. This dry wine,  is concentrated, yet can be enjoyed now. This is probably the best 389 I have ever tasted (97 points).  

The 2019 Grange is immediately recognizable. Blackberry and blue fruit, licorice, black olive and charcoal form the core. This is an intense wine with great depth, yet it is fresh and smooth. It is already drinkable. It will probably forever live in the shadow of the 2018, but it is a great follow-up (98 points).

After tasting Grange, the concentration tends to drop. Yet, the 2021 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon deserves attention. It is full-bodied, with concentrated blackcurrant and tobacco flavours. This is an elegant wine with an extra long finish (97 points).

Tasting a range of young Penfolds wines used to be hard work. Yet this was thoroughly pleasant. The oak influence has been dialed back, and freshness has increased. 

Utopos New Releases

 When I traveled to the Barossa last year to visit some newer wineries, I missed Utopos. The visit was arranged, but owner and winemaker Kym Teusner fell sick. It was therefore a welcome opportunity to taste these wines in Sydney this week. 

The wines come from a vineyard on Roennfeldt Road in Marananga, previously leased out to Penfolds and next door to David Powell's property. It is a special plot, reaching to the top of the ironstone ridge at 300 meters. Three types of soils allow a lot of options. There is red-brown earth at the bottom, a strip of black biscay in the middle, and depleted top soil exposing ironstone and quartz in the top region. Most of the 30 acres under vine were planted in the early 1990s. Shiraz is planted to the East, Cabernet Sauvignon to the North, and Grenache and Mataro to the West. The average yield is a low 1t/acre. 

The 2021 Grenache is a pretty and fresh wine, tasting of red and black cherry, with a balanced structure and silky tannins. The finish is soft and long (94 points).

The 2021 Mataro/Shiraz/Grenache (40/30/30) is quite different, with the Mataro component quite prominent. Dark fruited and savoury, this wine delivers a firm grip (93 points).

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is quite savoury as well, with the ironstone soil making its presence felt. The wine is medium weight and quite smooth, well made, perhaps lacking some impact (92 points).

The 2021 Shiraz is dark, with blackberry, mulberry and earthy flavours. The wine is fresh and elegant, of medium concentration. It is perhaps a bit fruit forward (94 points).

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz (60/40) is blue and black fruited with a fresh mouthfeel. The tannins are fine and dry. This wine is a good example of the benefits of this famous, now slightly neglected blend (95 points).

The 2018 Shiraz, from this excellent vintage, has a very aromatic bouquet. This is a very pretty wine, black fruited and savoury, with silky tannins and a long finish (96 points). 

I was then shown the first wines from 2016. They were nowhere near the quality of the younger wines. Apparently a lot of work was required in the vineyard to get the vines up to scratch. 

If I were to generalize, Utopos wines are characterized by purity and the aromatics of the fruit, as well as savoury influences. On this site, there has been some discussion of the merits or otherwise of traditional ripe Barossa Shiraz on the one hand and leaner wines made by young winemakers on the other. Kym Teusner with Utopos wines seems to strike a happy medium. 

  

Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Hickinbotham is the sister property to Yangarra, both owned by Jackson Family Wines. It is a lot less known in Australia, as early production was almost exclusively aimed at the US market. This has, however, changed over the years. The vineyards are in immaculate condition in a prime spot of McLaren Vale. The focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

I tasted the 2019 Hickinbotham Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon a couple of days ago. It is a full-bodied, quite concentrated, ripe and thick wine of blackcurrant, plum, and charcoal flavours. The oak, high quality and mostly new, I imagine, is noticeable as well. The fruit flavours are intense, yet the wine is balanced. It is a wine on steroids you could say. A Napa wine made in Australia. I guess this was always the idea, at 10-20% of the price.

Score: 93/++

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Mini Vertical

This vertical was designed to show off the just released 2020 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon and compare it with the arguably two best wines of the last decade.

So let's start with the 2014 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon. The palate offers rich flavours of mulberry, red- and blackcurrant, cedar and leather. There are musty flavours eminating from the oak. This is a well balanced wine which has started to enter its prime. The subtle structure is supported by concentrated, yet fine tannins. The finish is very long (97/+++ points).

The 2018 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon has a similar profile, but is not quite so far along in the maturing process. This wine is perhaps a bit more concentrated, with blackcurrant and blueberry flavours. Licorice, cedar and chocolate flavours emerge, but are still in the background of this fruit-intense wine. I like the elegance of this wine and the long finish (96/+++).

Obviously, the 2020 Moss Wood is the baby. Was it smart to compare it to two of the great Moss Wood vintages? I think not. This wine is also dark fruited, quite generous, with chocolate, tobacco and oaky flavours (20% new oak). In my assessment, this wine does not have the same complexity as the other two, nor the length in the finish. Will this change over the years? I doubt it. This is a good, but not outstanding wine (94/++).

 

 

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon

 Howard Park uses the best fruit from its holdings in Margaret River and Great Southern to produce the flagship Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon. Last night, I drank some 2007 Howard Park Abercrombie from Magnum.

The flavours were typical Cabernet Sauvignon; red- and blackcurrant, capsicum; also cigarbox and a hint of mint. The wine was still very fresh (screwcap). I found it quite lean for the vintage. The tannins were firm, and the wine finished with medium length.

I expected more generosity.

Score: 93/+

Cloudburst Tasting

 When you have a perfect vineyard site, very small production, and a strong desire to make outstanding wine, you have a good head start. I have described the background of Cloudburst in previous posts. I only mention here that the vineyard is densely planted and bio-dynamically farmed. The focus here is on a rare tasting of a number of these wines.

It started with Chardonnay. First up, the 2020 Cloudburst Chardonnay. I taste Meyer lemon, white peach and wood spice from the very noticeable new French oak. The wine is very clean and fresh, with acidity in good balance. This is typical Chardonnay fruit. All very nice, but not a lot of character (93/+ points). The 2017 is similar. It is a bit more lemon focussed, with the oak even more pronounced (93/+ points). It gets more interesting with the 2014 Chardonnay. This is a more opulent wine with more fruit focus: pineapple, apricot, a bit of lemon. This wine starts to show a bit of age (95/++ points). The wines are closed with screw cap, as opposed to the reds. I ask myself, with the attention to detail, maybe a cork closure would serve these wines better (see Giaconda), as the maturing is very slow.

The labels have golden lettering, only Cloudburst on the front

Now we move to the reds, Malbec first. The 2018 Malbec is quite fruity, but with a lot of energy. Black cherry and plum deliver flavours which are very pure, and the finish is silky and medium to long (95++ points). But this wine is overshadowed by the 2017 Malbec. This is a more complex wine with more savoury notes, such as mushroom, and a very long finish. This wine came close to the wine of the night and was loved by all (96/+++ points). 

The labels are hard to read, and even harder to photograph

The first Cabernet Sauvignon (they include a small Malbec percentage) is the 2019. Red- and blackcurrant deliver a satisfying mouthfeel. There are savoury flavours as well. The tannins are fine and the finish seems to expand (94/++ points). The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a darker expression. Blackcurrant and mulberry flavours are balanced by beautifully fine grained, silky and lacey tannins. The finish is very long (97/+++). This was the wine of the night. Finally, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a bigger and more developed wine. Blackcurrant and mulberry flavours are soft, and a little sweet. Meat and charcoal flavours add complexity, but the finish is only medium (95/++). 

The most interesting aspect of the tasting was that not one wine was a disappointment. It is another question if you need to shell out $250/bottle to have this kind of quality experience. 

Premium Cabernets Comparison

 This is a brief review of some Australian premium Cabernets.

The star of this comparison tasting was the highly acclaimed 2020 Cullen Diana Madeline. It is a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend. This was the most elegant wine, red fruited, with some tannin bite at the same time, and a beautiful finish. This is a world class wine (97 points).

The one closest in style to it was the 2019 Grosset Gaia. It had a similar feel, but was a bit broader in the mouth, less detailed, again with firm tannins (94 points).

The other wine from Margaret River was quite different. It was the top of the range 2018 Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Malbec. It showed darker fruit, with mulberry flavours. The Malbec influence is strong. This is a bigger wine, quite fruity (93 points).  

An impressive wine was the 2017 Hickinbotham Clarendon Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes from the Northern, hillier part of McLaren Vale. This is a smooth wine, ripe, but balanced, with a silky mouthfeel and a medium to long finish (95 points).

I was less impressed with the 2016 Yalumba Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon. The redcurrant flavours are big and ripe. Christmas pudding or mud cake deliver quite a fat mouthfeel (92 points). 

There was also a New Zealand wine, the Merlot dominant 2019 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu. This is quite a soft wine, but it lacked sufficient mouthfeel (91 points).

Barossa, Part 1

 

I spent the following two days in the Barossa. And what better way to start than at a private Penfolds tasting at the Kalimna Homestead. It is of course surrounded by the famous Kalimna vineyard, first planted around 1890 by the Fowler family. Vineyard and homestead was bought by Penfolds in 1945. Red winemaker Steph Dutton, who is likely to succeed Peter Gago when he retires (you read it here first), took me through the tasting, which consisted mostly of a mix from the 2021 and 2022 Penfolds Collection.

We started with the 2022 Bin 51 Riesling from Eden Valley. This was the first of a number of very positive surprises. Lime rind was the dominant flavour component. The wine has good volume and a fine texture. Minerality develops on the back palate before a long finish (95 points).

Next came the 2019 Yattarna. The fruit is 56% Tasmania, 34% Tumbarumba, 11% Adelaide Hills. The Tasmanian component has been increasing due to climate change and style refinement, while Tumbarumba fruit adds nerve, and Adelaide Hills generosity according to Steph. The wine is matured in 50% new oak barriques. Concentrated citrus fruit, nectarine, pear and smoky oak deliver a complex flavour profile. This is a stylish wine with some fruit weight, but matched with mineral acidity. The Yattarna is getting better with every release. This is a stunning wine (97 points).

The first red is the 2019 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz. This wine sees 100% French hogsheads, 20% new. Peppercorn and spice are the key features of this well structured wine. I detect a bit of alcoholic warmth on the finish (93 points). 

Then comes a special release wine, the 2018 Century Vines Barossa Valley Shiraz. Blending is in the DNA of Penfolds. This could have come from a single vineyard of 100 year old vines, but no, this is a blend from a number of grower owned old vineyards. What this does, it gives a certain layering of fruit flavours (more so in Grange). This wine is matured in old French hogsheads. This is a ripe wine. Mulberry, blackberry, figs and bacon on the palate, anchored by savoury, gravelly tannins - classic Barossa, classic Penfolds (96 points).

Then comes one of the big surprises of this tasting: the 2019 Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz. This wine always has more than just 50% Cabernet fruit. This one has 53%. Quite a bit comes from Langhorne Creek. The wine is matured in 100% American oak, 30% new. This wine has great complexity. The herbal notes of the Cabernet start you off, sweet plum from the Shiraz takes over, and it all ends in a mix of meatiness and mocca. The big surprise here is the sheer drinkability of the wine. I remember tasting older vintages at young age, and this was often not a pleasant experience. Oak and tannins were too strong. According to Steph, the introduction of cross-flow filtration has given this wine much more polish. I will in the summary talk about some other developments at Penfolds which make the young wines so exciting (96 points). 

The 2019 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is from the yet to be released 2022 Collection. The wine is aged in French hogsheads, 56% new. There is the expected blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate. I have always struggled a bit with Coonawarra Cabernet, often because of eucalypt flavours. There is a bit in this wine, but it is in the background. The structure of this wine is very tight. This wine needs time (94 points). 

Now we come to the star of the tasting, the 2018 St. Henri. The wine is aged in old French vats, which gives the fruit prime place. The wine is multi-regional, but predominantly Barossa Valley. This wine is so polished and elegant. Blackberry, plum and chocolate lead to an overall creamy like praline flavour. The tannins are super fine and silky (98 points).

Similarly to the  Bin 389, the main feature of the 2017 Grange for me is the sheer drinkability of this wine. The layering of the fruit comes from the blend of 14 blocks in this wine. It is a very dark and voluminous wine, a typical Grange in this way. Aromatic and meaty, big and drink now. How do they do it (97 points)?

The big revelation in this tasting was how approachable the wines were. Also, French oak is becoming ever more prominent, without giving up on the house style of the flagship American oak wines. This lead to a general discussion of what has changed at Penfolds. It turns out a lot. 

- Many trials with different oak barrels have been carried out over the years. The sourcing is now much smarter than it used to be. 

- The tannin management is much more detailed.

- In the vineyard, there is a lot of detailed mapping and technology is used for profiling moisture and ripeness. Grapes get picked by rows now, rather than vineyards.

- There is also an emphasis on root stock and clones management.

I was very impressed with these wines, and by early accounts, this will carry over into the 2022 Collection. I will have an opportunity to taste many of these in 10 days. 

Claire Valley, Part 3

 It is not a secret, but it is not widely known that since 2017, Kilikanoon is 80% owned by Changyu, China's largest wine company. Kilikanoon was only formed in 1997, but since then had a turbulent history. At some stage, the owners also owned the majority of Seppeltsfield, but now it has withdrawn from the Barossa and is firmly focused on Clare Valley. Winemaking has moved on from founder Kevin Mitchell to Peter Warr, who I met with on my last stop in the Clare. 

The tasting was wide ranging. I will focus on red wines here. First: Grenache. The blue label depicts entry level wine. The 2019 Prodigal Grenache shows interesting blueberry flavours. It is quite a structural wine, with acidity and oak quite noticeable (91 points). More winemaking comes into play with the black label. The 2018 Duke's Reserve is a full-bodied wine with blackcurrant, mushroom and earthy notes prominent. No raspberry in sight - unexpected, but good (93 points). The highlight of this bracket comes from the grey label, which indicates old vines. The 2020 Walton 1946 Grenache is quite outstanding. 30% wholebunch contributes to a smooth wine, not as worked as the previous wine, with layers of red and blue fruit (95 points). Kilikanoon has clearly jumped on the Grenache wave we currently experience. And there is more. The 2018 Baudinet GSM is quite dark and fruity (92 points).

We then move on to the fuller bodied Rhone varieties. First, the 2020 Ashton 1920 Mataro, from 100 year old vines. A number of wineries in South Australia now make straight Mataro, and it is an interesting addition. This wine is dark fruited with blood orange flavours as well. The wine is slaty and earthy, yet surprisingly elegant (93 points).

 

The first Shiraz is the 2018 Covernant. Blackberry and cassis deliver a typical palate. The wine is dynamic driven by these flavours. Firm tannins are well integrated (91 points). This contrast with the 2016 Oracle, the flagship wine made by the old regime. This wine is very concentrated and rich. Raspberry and blackberry flavours deliver a jammy mouthfeel. The French oak is also very noticeable - a not perfectly executed Parker wine (89/-). And this contrast with the 2018 Morrison Shiraz/Cabernet. This wine is concentrated as well, but it is lively and driven by fruit. Red and black fruit flavours are nicely layered (95 points). 

Finally, two straight Cabernet Sauvignons. The entry level 2018 Block Roads Cabernet Sauvignon shows the variety so well: redcurrant, capsicum, tomato leaf and chocmint (93 points). A big step up, and an outstanding wine is the 2018 Tregea Reserve. It has a similar profile, but is more detailed, making this a complex wine. It is softer and powdery, delivering layers of flavour as the wine rolls down the palate (96 points). 

Overall, this was a very interesting tasting. The new, more fruit focussed direction is delivering some excellent wines. 

Clare Valley, Part 2

 The next stop was Jim Barry. Jim Barry can offer a number of highlights in its portfolio. First is the 2021 Assyrtiko. This really is an attractive variety, originating from Santorini. I have written about this before. Jim Barry is the only Australian producer. And this variety is well worth seeking out. Why? It is an aromatic variety, and at the same time, it is very energetic. This is a great summer drink (92 points).

Of course, you cannot go past the Florita Rieslings. This vineyard came to prominence under John Vickery and the Leo Buring label. I tasted three years: 2021, 2015, 2013. The 2021 showed white flower on the nose. This continued on the palate together with lime flavours. This wine is quite powerful and very driven (94 points). The 2015 had a similar fruit flavour profile, and started to show the maturing signs of Riesling: a whiff of kerosene, but actually more of a marmelade flavour (95 points). The 2013 displayed more kerosene, but the fruit was still fresh (94 points). I also tasted the 2018 LoosenBerry Walta Walta, the joint effort with Dr. Loosen from Germany. This wine is made more in the German style, with more time on lees and maturing in used oak. I found the wine a bit nondescript and a little sweet, although it is labeled dry (92 points). The 2021 showed more freshness and line (93 points).

The next bracket featured Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine was the 2016 Pb Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. It had redcurrant on the front palate, some Shiraz sweetness in the middle and an earthy finish. This was a decent example of Australia's classic blend (92 points). Then came the 2018 First Eleven Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a very bright profile with redcurrant dominant, backed up by some mocca flavours (92 points). The 2017 Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare was quite different; a solid structure and a very tannic wine which gripped my mouth (91 points). This bracket was ok, but there were no outstanding wines here.

This changed with the 2018 The McRae Wood Shiraz. This wine is dark fruited with blackberry flavours, 5 spice and olive notes. The fruit is from declassified Armagh, and augmented with fruit from other vineyards. But hey, this wine is quite brilliant, with silky tannins and a long finish (95 points). The Armagh comes from 54 year old vines, and has quite some pedigree, obviously. The 2017 is very dark and more concentrated than the before tasted McRae Wood, and it still has some freshness. Yet I found the wine a bit dense (94 points).   

Clare Valley, Part 1

I spend the first day of a brief tour to South Australia’s wine regions in the Clare Valley. I am mainly interested tasting red wines as opposed to the more flagship Riesling. My first stop is at Taylors. I abandoned Taylors some ten years ago because of their in my view excessive use of new oak. Since then, a number of new labels have been introduced. So it was time for a new assessment.

The first couple of wines were Rieslings, though; the 2022 St Andrews Riesling and the 2012 St. Andrews Riesling. St Andrews means the fruit is from the Estate. Both wines are quite similar in character, with the 10 year old wine more developed and the acid less prominent. There is white flower and lime, both on nose and palate. The wines are quite fruity and a little broad (88 points).

The Chardonnays see 100% new oak. The 2018 St Andrews Chardonnay tastes of stone fruit, and the oak is pretty well integrated (92 points). The 2015 version already has quite a golden colour, and some butterscotch coming through (90 points).

The 2018 St Andrews Shiraz sees 65% new oak, and is matured in this 60% American and 40% French oak. The wine is still quite fresh, red fruited, with some confectionery flavours, no doubt from the American oak (91 points). The 2015 Pioneer Shiraz (best of grapes) has spent 3-4 years in oak (not sure if 100% new). This is a wine on steroids. The fruit weight is big, the tannins firm and coarse, and the vanilla oak prominent. Not my cup of tea (92 points).

Finally, the Cabernets. The 2017 St Andrews Cabernet (current release), shows good typicity. Redcurrant, bay leaf, herbs, and capsicum. The firm acidity delivers a good structure. The fruit is a little underdone given the good vintage (92 points). The 2015 Visionary Cabernet was the best wine of the line-up, but not by much. Again, it is made from the best grapes and spends a lot of time in oak. The flavours were similar to the last wine, but the finish was much longer. This wine will last a long time (93 points).

Overall, oak was still a dominant feature, although perhaps better managed than what I remember. Unfortunately, the fruit was not quite big and concentrated enough to be a dominant match.

Special Tasting At Penfolds

 A few days ago, I was hosted at Magill Estate to a tasting of some special wines. 

The whites were the 2021 Cellar Reserve Polish Hill Riesling and the 2020 Bin 20A Chardonnay. The white wines have always lived in the shadow of the red wines, maybe until now. Cellar Reserve are one-off wines. They do not create restrictions which the major labels can do. This Riesling shows the expected lime and lemon flavours of Polish Hill. In comparison with Grosset, this wine has a wider mouthfeel, not quite as steely (this is a matter of personal preference). Having said this, it has a beautiful line of acid (94 points). 

The Bin 20A Chardonnay is the little brother of Yattarna. A stands for Adelaide Hills, where always 100% of the fruit comes from. This wine is nothing like any other Chardonnay I have tasted from Adelaide Hills. It is a much more powerful and quite funky wine.Whereas Yattarna seems carefully crafted, this wine lets loose. It comes from the Piccadilly area, and has been matured in 60% new French oak. The wine can clearly take it. Ripe melon flavours and a flinty minerality dominate the palate. This wine has personality (95 points).

The next section was a comparison of cork and stelvin closure, based on the 2013 Bin138 SGM. The wine is composed of 75% Shiraz, 15% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. As expected, the wine under cork showed more development, with a slightly garnet colour. The stelvin wine showed red and purple. The wine under cork felt big in the mouth, with raspberry flavours. It had a sweet, somewhat fat core (92 points). The screw-capped wine was much fresher, with a more interesting flavour profile, including aniseed and some vegetable notes, such as fennel (94 points).

The result was not what I expected. For red wine, I prefer cork because of the more natural development (in my mind), whereas I have had a number of 10 year old red wines under screw-cap which showed frustratingly little development at all. However, in this comparison, the wine under cork was further developed than I would have liked, and ‘reduced’ to a sweet core. The wine under stelvin showed some development, and kept an interesting flavour profile.

I will skip over the Bin 28 wines. The comparison here was difficult because of the significant difference in age.

Finally, I tasted two wines from the new California Collection. The 2018 Bin 704 is the Penfolds Napa Cabernet. Sourced predominantly from Oakville and Rutherford i.e. the valley floor, and matured in 100% new French oak, this wine is positioned, if you will, against the premium Napa Valley Cabernets (and priced attractively by comparison). It has the boysenberry flavour I associate with Napa Cabernet, but it is not as open as the American wines. I feel it is tighter. The different fermentation style with Penfolds typical punch-downs, may explain this. The wine is quite long and has an elegant mouthfeel, which makes it quite approachable now, maybe because of the maturing in hogsheads (95 points).

Penfolds legacy is founded by risky experiments. The Max Schubert story of Grange is well known where Shiraz was used instead of  the Cabernet Sauvignon of Bordeaux. RWT was aged in French oak against all Penfolds tradition. Do we have another example here, when red wine maker Steph Dutton ‘threw’ 13% of ultra premium Shiraz fruit from Australia into the best Napa Cabernet fruit they had to create Quantum? This 2018 Quantum is called wine of the world, maybe a bit presumptuous, but no large wine company had ever done this before. This wine is matured in 100% French barriques. Is this a Napa Cabernet? Is this a Penfolds wine? What I would say is that it is a very high quality wine, with layers and layers of fruit, with blackcurrant dominant. It is much too early to drink now, but will unfold very well, I have no doubt. It will be longer lasting than most Napa Cabernet. It is Penfolds’ best Cabernet, but a Grange equivalent? Not sure (97 points).

 The reception by Penfolds was most enjoyable, and the expert comments by Zoe Warrington very much appreciated. This tasting was a real treat.

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon

 The Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon lives in the shadow of Cullen and Moss Wood, but in some years it soars to significant heights. The 2014 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon is such a wine.

There is a typical style to this wine, which makes it immediately recognizable as Cape Mentelle. It is blackcurrant and mocca. These flavours are beautifully integrated. The wine has elegance, but also grit, with fine grained tannins. The slightly 'dirty' finish does not detract from the overall impression.

At eight years, this wine drinks well now and has many years of satisfying drinking ahead.

Score: 96/+++