I received a call from Wynns Coonawarra chief winemaker Sue Hodder, who casually enquired as to my availability the following Wednesday to attend a historic tasting of Wynns Black labels with a select group of wine journalists. I thought about it for a microsecond and affirmed my attendance.
On arrival, polite chit chat and I look around to see that I was the ring in surrounded by the whos who of the Australian wine press – Halliday, Hooke, Oliver, Ryan, Caillard, Gargett to name just a few. A liitle bit daunting.
What followed was possibly the greatest tasting event that I have ever attended and most definitely the best organized. It was informative, educational and the collegiate camaraderie evident in the room added to the sheer joy of tasting such an amazing array of wines.
Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is not a wine of grandeur. It is Wynns workhorse that has always been relatively affordable and made in decent quantities. The first dozen of a single wine that I ever purchased was the 1991, which I paid $10.99 for. In fact I ended up buying 18 bottles and still have afew today. There have been a number of winemakers responsible for the wine, but the tasting showed that the Coonawarra signature of pure cassis fruit and fine grained tannins shone through the wines despite the vagaries of vintage and of course changing wine style fashions and also some rudimentary winemaking and vineyard management in the early days.
The tasting was punctuated by a vineyard tour that highlighted the pioneering work being undertaken to maximize the fruit quality, lead by Alan Jenkins and a couple of phDs heading up the viti department. It was very technical, but also highly informative.
On to the wines As with most verticals one looks for the differences, so my notes may be unduly harsh at times.
1950s
All sound, very even, some drying out but incredible performance from 60 yr old wines.
1954 - tawny, some crimson hues, some brown sugar, molasses but still fruit. Integrated, mature palate but still with some fine grained, celery salt dusted tannins. Really quite delicious, mid weight. Will live for some time. Very pure mature aroma.
1955 - darker, more mature, soy and beef stock, almost aged Burgundy notes. Palate is very refined and obviously mature. Some lovely forest floor and florals. Quite complex.
1956 - a little bit animale, sweet, baby diaper, seaweed aroma. The palate has good intensity on entry, some fine trained tannins still evident and the palate is more refined than the aroma. Still in good nick.
1957 - fresher, more red fruited (less ripe ?) aroma. Distinct leathery overtones. The palate is again quite refined, integrated and with very elegant tannins. Suggest cooler, less concentrated vintage but very fine wine, albeit without the weight of the best. Breathed up to show fruit sweetness. Lovely drink.
1958 - Distinctly darker hue, but browning at the rim. Aroma suggests a wine in decline, all beef stock, soy and smoked oysters. The palate has clear power and by contrast to preceding wines quite chalky and grippy tannins, which contributes to the wines length on the palate. As it breathed improved. Feels like a Barolo in the mouth. Despite aroma will hold for some time I would think. another 20 mins in glass started to decline.
1959 - lighter in hue, mirepoix, celery salt aroma. Again comfortable chesterfield and cigar box. Greener tannins/ cooler vintage? Sweet vinous aroma as it breathes up. Palate is still quite energetic, with more spikey acidity (in contrast to previous wines) but gives wine palate presence. Very good.
The 1960s – the strongest bracket. Incredible fruit and structure from a number of wines. Great bracket. Spellbinding.
1960 - sweet, lifted, savoury nose. Just a faint hint of barnyard. The palate is quite energetic, with ripe tannins, showing some more exotic clove and cardamom spice. Very good.
1962 - lighter in colour, quite floral, briary aroma. The palate is carried a little by the acidity and may render it a little short on the palate. Cooler vintage perhaps, still a lovely mature claret.
1964 - here we are In a different spectrum, we are starting to see some chocoberry fruit coupled perhaps with a hint of Coonawarra mint. Definitely spearmint. Lovely palate, fine trained tannin, some cassis still, wonderful.
1965 - incredible nose, dark chocolate and cassis, pure as the driven snow. Still very sound, dense colour. Seamless palate, knife edge balance between perfectly ripe fruit and wines inherent structure, resonates on palate. Perfect.
1966 - still very dense, some lightening at the rim. Again dark cocoa notes on the nose and cassis, albeit secondary. Slightly grippier tannins than previous wine, contributing texture. Another outstanding rendition of Cabernet Sauvignon.
1967 - not as dense hued, slightly confected aroma suggesting warmer year. Some browning at the rim. Liqcorice and sweet fruit impression on the palate, riper tannins, fading a little but it lingers in the mouth. Maybe a bit like a 90/98?
1968 - cooler, red fruited, restrained aroma, a hint of vegetal aroma, but only very subtle. On the palate has the feeling of a less ripe year. Doesn’t have the palate weight or length of the best wines of the bracket, but nevertheless a very sound energetic wine. A bit exotic?
1969 - polished mahogany aroma . VA? In fact it is hard to see the fruit behind the aroma. The palate shows good ripeness and fruit intensity, with quite soft, melted tannins. Not the most complex and longest palate, but still a good drink.
The 1970s - not the strongest bracket, cool decade, young vineyards, trend was for lower alcohol pyrazine wines.
1970 - very closed, not expressive, a bit volatile, cedary. The palate is dominated by the structure and the fruit is perhaps fading a little. Good but a bit charmless at the moment.
1971- showing maturity on the nose, soy and balsamic notes. The palate is quite dark, brambly and with tannic grip. Good intensity, just lacking a bit in the fruit stakes.
1972 - colour wise, more developed, fresher, leaner, more soy aroma, palate is a bit dried out and stalky, perhaps past its best.
1973 - again sweet leathery, exotic aroma (touch of Brett?) nice mid weight palate with good balance and Vinosity. At its peak. Good luncheon claret.
1974 - caramel, sweet ripe fruit aromas. Palate is soft and resolved, good natural acidity. Perhaps it is fading a little.
1975- oak notes, sweet, vinous, the palate has good balance and tension, with a lingering balanced finish. Lovely wine, perhaps a little more oak influence.
1976- a bit more funky, barnyard aromas, good colour, moderate browning. Has a dark fruit quality on front palate, but finishes with some more exotic spice characters. Improved significantly in the glass, although it was most revered wine of the bracket, I am not convinced.
1977- greener, finer, mirepoix notes. Marzipan, nuttiness. Distinctly cooler feel. Palate is a little lean and not as concentrated as others.
1978- richer, riper spectrum, darker end of fruit spectrum, tannins resolved but holding well. One of the better wines of the bracket.
1979- mature, distinctly leathery on the nose, palate has some camphor and showing maturity. Quite resolved but a balanced mature wine.
1980s – Evolution was obvious from fashion of more leafy wines to more sturdy styles under stewardship of Peter Douglas who is a rather sturdy bloke.
1980 - quite green, light and leafy. “Couldn’t be more 80s if it had shoulder pads on it” quoth Nick Ryan. Not dissimilar to 1980 St George
1981 - not as overtly green. Quite a surprise. Well rounded and integrated still with a prickle of talent. Quite good.
1982- this is a wine of finesse, iron fist in a velvet glove. Rich but fine. Resonating, pure. Really lovely.
1983- less bright, less varietal on the nose, reflecting the hotter vintage.dead fruit. Hollow.
1984 - the green green grass of home.light, vegetal, spikey. Still holding on but another poster child of the era. Difficult vintage if I recall. HOLLICK Jimmy Watson year.
1985- moderate intensity, mature but appears riper and slightly gritty tannins - significant added tannins for stability? Does not feel as natural or unforced. A little tart. Difficult growing season. Not as bright in appearance.
1986- mature penetrating, dense cassis fruit. Again the tannin is more prominent and youth (only 30yrs!) is showing. A chewy wine.
1987- fresher, very petit fruits rouge, pleasant aroma but a little lean. Not green, some tannin grip still evident. Good for the vintage.
1988- a bit of a tough wine, again the tannins feel out of whack with the fruit weight. Some more herbal elements.
1989- riper, less varietal, warmer feel. Sweet, mouthfilling palate. As though not as varietal, a good drink. Doesn’t feel as tannic but higher alcohol perhaps contributing to mouth sweetness.
At the end of the day the 66 and 82 were voted wines of the day, and we moved on to a local restaurant for a few PCAs and some Latour, Mouton and John Riddochs to fully calibrate the palate.
What an honour. I was sad that I could not participate the following day tasting the 90s, 00s and 10s, but I was humbled to have been invited to this rare event.