The Hyatt Cup

1 November 2010

Passionate …

When it comes to passion and wine, there is John Jens and then there is everyone else. John’s belief that Western Australia produces Australia’s best cabernet based wines is well documented. John’s support of the industry is quite selfless.

The Hyatt Cup is a classic example. In an effort to highlight the quality of WA wines, John teamed up with the Hyatt to arrange a tasting of 16 of the best Cabernets from Margaret River and the Great Southern to see if one region was clearly superior. The results were spectacular. 20 glasses of wine pre-poured in front of each of the 65 guests. The first eight were from the 2004/2005 vintages and the last twelve from the 2008 vintage.

2004 was a very good year in the Great Southern, and 2005 was very good for Margaret River. 2008 was an excellent Margaret River Vintage. Rob Mann from Cape Mentelle describes the wines as having a clarity of fruit and vibrancy. John Durham (winemaker at Plantaganet) felt southern Margaret River showed better than northern in 2008, whilst the Great Southern was probably better for shiraz than cabernet that year due to the coolness of the vintage.

So which was better? The wines from the Great Southern showed a generosity of fruit that made them more seductive, whilst the Margaret River wines tended to have more structure. When it came to preferences, the room was evenly split. My picks included the Hardy’s, Woodlands, Vasse Felix and 2004 Jack Mann. In reality, most of the wines here were superb, and worthy of inclusion in this fascinating exercise.

So a big thanks to John for putting together an amazing showcase of WA wines. All of this from a Collingwood supporter who hails from Victoria!

Thanks should also go to the Hyatt for their generous support of the event.

Reviewed (in order tasted)

Parker Estate – Cabernet Sauvignon – Terra Rossa – 2004 (17.5). Some mint to the cherry and red fruits on the nose. Dusty cabernet fruit with the first signs of development. Really opens up to show blackcurrant fruit. Leather and spice to open, and gentle red fruits. The tannins are still firm and hold the finish together really well. Good drinking

Forest Hill – Cabernet Sauvignon – Block 5 – 2004 (18.4). Really perfumed nose with redcurrant, cherries and violets. Lovely red fruits on a palate displaying ripe and succulent fruit. Very good fruit quality. Elegant and refined, this has excellent length. A touch of mortein to close adds interest. Classy

Cullen – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – Diana Madelaine – 2005 (18.2). Fresher than some in this bracket. Dense and structured, this is a powerful wine. Cooler fruit characters with eucalypt and spice. The palate is firm and tight, with the oak and grippy tannins still dominating the finish. This really needs 5 -10 years to show its best (screw cap).

Balnaves – Cabernet Sauvignon – The Tally – 2004 (17.7). Menthol and some sour cherry/satsuma plum notes to open. Develops lovely perfumed fruit. The palate is dense and the fruit plump and really juicy. Lovely ripe fruit dominates the palate, and the tannins are incredibly fine though a touch chewy. Fruit falls away a touch in the mid palate. Rob Mann described it as having classic Coonawara Choc-Mint.

Houghton – Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec – Jack Mann – 2004 (18.5). More complex and intriguing nose. Cedar and blackcurrant/dark fruits to the fore. Firm, textured, tight and closed. This has all the hall marks of a great wine, though it needs many years to fully develop.

Hardy’s – Cabernet Sauvignon – Thomas Hardy – 2004 (18.6). Cooler fruit characters to this, with some capsicum and menthol. This has quality fruit and real density. The wine-making is excellent, and the length and depth of flavours are fantastic. Chewy fruit and excellent mouth-feel point to a star. The style may polarise. 100% Margaret River cabernet from a single vineyard.

Howard Park – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2005 (18). Classic cabernet fruit here. Pretty, elegant, refined and classy. This has dark fruits and chewy tannins. The grip on the finish is in danger of overwhelming the fruit, but the wine manages to stay in balance. A structured wine of distinction.

Mosswood – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2005 (18.4). Quite developed nose with some earth and leathery fruit notes. Lovely fruit on the palate including redcurrant. Very long and quite seamless, this is probably the best drinking wine here. The very fine tannins are deceptive, as they add important structure to the wine but you hardly notice them.

Higher Plane – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18). Much fresher and very dense. There is a touch of chocolate amongst the fruit. The palate is really inky and dense yet there is a purity of fruit. Very powerful and structured, there is more of the chocolate fruit on the palate. Quite textured, there is little of the mint I was expecting. Excellent length and structure.

Houghton – Cabernet Sauvignon – C.W. Ferguson – 2008 (18.5). Pretty fruit. Lifted violets and redcurrant with some cedar and a touch of ribena. Wow. Superb fruit here. Ripe, fine, elegant, textured, but full of latent power. The pretty fruit dominates the palate, but make no mistake, this is a powerful wine with incredible length and depth to the palate.

Cherubino – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18.2). More of the capsicum/cedar fruit here, again suggesting a cooler vintage in Margaret River. Dense and textured, this is just a baby. The palate is powerful and very long. There are cooler fruit characters to the very fine finish. The style will polarise, but a fine wine. Herbal notes with cumin and spice on a powerful finish.

Plantaganet – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18). More of the chocolate density here. This wine initially lacks fruit, but it really builds in the mouth and very fine tannins caress the tongue on the finish.

Cape Mentelle – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18.5). Wow. Lifted ripe red fruits with a touch of vanillin oak. The palate is dense and powerful, with grippy tannins to close. A big and powerful wine, this is a bit of a sleeping giant. Excellent fruit quality but needs many years to come around.

Majella – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (17.5). Pretty wine with cassis and cedar overtones. There is a touch of insecticide, and a lovely sour plum nose. There is a riot of flavours here. Ribena/cassis mint, menthol and cherry. Lovely souring acid really adds to the finish. The tannins are firm yet fine and the length is excellent. The balance was questioned by one member of the panel.

Houghton – Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec – Jack Mann – 2008 (17.8). Lifted and seductive nose. The palate is more about structure, with red fruit overtones. Lacks the generosity of others here, but this will improve with time.

Vasse Felix – Cabernet Sauvignon – Heytesbury – 2008 (18.5). Complex, dense, ripe and structured, this is a wine of class. Powerful, this has masses of dark fruits. Yes there are some blackcurrant notes, but plums, cedar, mocha and spice are the dominant flavours right now. Very powerful, this has a long future.

Cullen – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – Diana Madelaine – 2008 (18.5). Cedar and spice to open. Much leaner style, there is souring fruit and a touch of plum too. This is a wine that is easy to underestimate due to the subtlety and delicate fruit. Opens to show pristine fruit. For the purists.

Balnaves – Cabernet Sauvignon – The Tally – 2008 (18.2). More of the minty cabernet fruit notes on the nose, with cedar, cinnamon and a touch of clove. The palate shows ripe fruits, but again there is a coolness (menthol and mint) running through the palate. Excellent length and structure, this is a fine wine, though the style may polarise.

Howard Park – Cabernet Sauvignon – Abercrombie – 2008 (18.3). Dense. Some mint and eucalypt on the nose. The palate is dense and structured. There is a generosity to the fruit characters that make this instantly enjoyable. Length and texture are superb. Slightly chewy tannins to close guarantee a long future.

Woodlands – Cabernet Sauvignon – Shellie Anne – 2008 (18.5). A touch of insecticide and lots of Margaret River mint and eucalyptus characters. A lovely wine of real class and distinction. Superb length and mouth-feel. Very long and structured, this is a very fine and elegant wine.