Barry Weinman: 4th November 2024
Houghton Jack Mann Vertical Tasting: 1994 – 2023
Sitting down to taste 20 vintages of Houghton’s Jack Mann was an unbelievable privilege for two reasons.
Firstly, it was an opportunity to look at every vintage of the wine ever produced including the never released 2018 as well as the yet to be bottled 2023 vintage. The 2018 was not released due to a fire at the storage facilities Houghton was using. Not only did it destroy all bottles of the 2018, it also destroyed their entire museum.
The second reason that this was such a memorable event was having the opportunity to sit down with eight current and former Houghton winemakers as well as to hear from Corinne Lamont and Dorham Mann, Jack Mann’s children.
Before the tasting, Dorham shared his memories of helping Jack make wine in his heyday, and the approach Jack took in crafting what were, at the time by all accounts, some incredible wines; wines that shone on the world stage.
The impact that Houghton has had on the Australian wine scene goes much further than just the amazing wines that have been produced over the years. There is also the legacy of being a training ground for some of Australia’s best winemakers.
The senior winemakers responsible for producing Jack Mann are Paul Lapsley (1994 – 1997), Larry Cherubino (1999 – 2002), Rob Bowen (2004 – 2008), Ross Pamment (2011 – 2020) and Courtney Treacher (2021 onwards).
There is also a veritable who’s who of winemakers who cut their teeth at Houghton. On Rob Bowens watch alone, junior winemakers included the likes of Peter Dillon, Simon Osika, Lance Parkins, Mark Bailey, Troy Overstone and Garth Cliff, as well as Ross Pamment and Courtney Treacher.
And based on the current tasting, the best wines are still to come, such is the quality of wines being produced under Courtney’s watch.
Given that, as mentioned earlier, the Houghton back catalogue was destroyed, it is thought that this is the first and last time this tasting will be held. The majority of the wines came from private cellars and no one present had tasted all the vintages prior to the event.
A special thanks to JJ and the team at Lamont’s for making this event possible!
So, to the wines.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 1994. The fruit is still holding up here, particularly with a bit of time in the glass, but this is fully mature. Coffee and hints of port add interest. Based on this bottle, I would drink this sooner rather than later.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 1995. From a great year, this is simply superb. There is pristine fruit in the blueberry spectrum, with gentle tobacco and spice notes adding a seductive edge. The power and the fruit has softened somewhat but is still palpable with tremendous length and persistence of flavours. Seamless and seductive, this is a magnificent drink, yet still has years of life ahead of it. 97 points seems only fair.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon -1996. It is hard to know if this was a bad bottle or if the vintage is just not holding up as this was somewhat oxidised with a touch of volatile acidity. From a more difficult year, this included 10% shiraz from South Australia in the final blend.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 1998. A fully mature wine with coffee and chocolate notes, yet there is still density and intensity to the fruit and excellent acid balance. Very long and with a lovely texture, this is very good indeed. 95 points
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec – 1999. 1999 was another great vintage and here, the rich fruit is still somewhat closed after all these years. There are hints of tertiary chocolate and coffee notes and, with air, the fruit kept on building. One of the most intense wines of the tasting and included the addition of 30% malbec and a higher proportion of new oak. 96 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2000. At 24 years of age, this is still supple, silky and fresh. Such a lovely drink! The colour is brick red. The fruit density and velvety texture are such a highlight. A wine that lingered on the pallet for an age and is at the peak of its drinking window. 95+ points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2001. Powerful, intense, and so, so impressive. The structure is still taut, with fine tannins and texture and vibrant acidity adding freshness. Savoury coffee and cocoa nib notes add depth and complexity. The wine lingered on the palate for an age, with the fresh acidity keeping things lively. 96pts.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2002. Whilst not the most dense of wines, coming from a wet year, this is still amazingly fresh and vibrant, the palate framed by the fine acidity. I would have just liked to see a little bit more fruit weight, but an excellent drink all the same. 94 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2004. 2004 was Robert Bowen’s first vintage and seems to coincide with the change in style. Not as dense or obvious as some of the earlier wines, this is lithe and fresh. Initially, the fruit seemed to lack concentration, but with air, this just kept getting better. A very good wine. 93 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2007. With this vintage there seemed to be a return of the coffee and cocoa nib characters that I’d seen previously but here they’re very subtle. The palate is rounded, mellowed and showing great length and persistence of flavours. The fresh acidity complements the ripe fruit. Very impressive indeed. 96 points.
While it was never commercially released, we also tried a bottle of the 2007 under screw cap and the contrast was quite dramatic. The screw cap wine was incredibly youthful fresh and vibrant, with still taut acidity and a tight, structured finish. A wine that will happily cellar for at least another decade or two, and probably a lot longer. 97 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008. I love the intensity and depth of fruit on this wine , but the finish just fell away ever so slightly. Another bottle may have been better.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2011. The ripe fruit here is fresh and has lovely texture, length and persistence. Whilst youthful, and needing at least a decade in the cellar, this is seductive and silky and is already a delightful wine. This was the first wine made by Ross and saw a reduction in the amount of new oak and had no acid or tannin adjustment. 95pts.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2012. This wine is so, so good. Intense, powerful and textured, yet drinking beautifully already, the fruit mouth coating. Impactful, and with complexity to burn. While this is great drinking now, it will be even better in 10 or 20 years’ time. Under screw cap. 96+ points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2013. In 2013 the fruits seemed to take on a cooler character. A little bit shy at the moment, with herbal tinges and very fresh acidity. But with air, the fruit opened up. Based on this bottle, I am not sure if there is enough fruit to match the acidity in the very long term, so best try it in its relative youth and decide for yourself.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2014. While this is really quite closed at this point, it is quite superb. The fruit is dense and textured with power palpable across the palate. On the finish the acid and tannins really build, suggesting that a couple of hours in a decanter or 20 years in the cellar is required to see it at its best. A fantastic, age worthy wine. 96 Points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2015. This is a totally delicious wine, but on the night, it was shaded by some of the other vintages.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2016. By 2016, the wines were really getting quite primary in the fruit characteristics. Fresh and vibrant with well-judged acidity and fine, though prodigious tannins. A very good wine that got better the longer it sat in the glass. 94+ points
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2017. I enjoyed this wine even more than the 2016 as, while it’s not overtly powerful, it has great intensity and depth of fruit, supported by fine tannins and sympathetic oak management. A real sleeper in the tasting, this could be one of the better wines released under this label in the long term. 96+ points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2018. All I can say is that it is a great pity that this wine was never released. Intense and powerful, with amazing density and structure. A brilliant wine that needs decades to show at its best. Served from magnum. 97 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2019. This was the most restrained and shy of all wines tasted. The fruit is there, but it is subtle and subdued at this early stage in its development. With time though, the lovely violet-tinged fruit will make a statement. A wine to watch. 96 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2020. This is as good as any wine released up until this point. It really is quite spectacular, the intensity, power, and depth of the fruit is quite breathtaking. Unbelievably good. 97+points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2021. The beautiful fruit here is pretty, fragrant and beguiling. The difficult vintage has resulted in a lighter style where great effort was required to ensure that only the highest quality fruit made it into the blend. Was the Halliday Wine Companion cabernet sauvignon of the year.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2022. While this wine is yet to be released, it may well be the best ever made under this label. Superb fruit and brilliant winemaking have collided head first, resulting in a breathtakingly good wine. Start saving, as this is a wine that you want in your cellar. 98 points.
Houghton – Jack Mann – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2023. This was only a barrel sample, so it does not necessarily reflect the final blend. But it is another amazing wine with beautiful blueberry fruit characters to the fore and supple, silky, near seamless texture on the palate. Incredibly age worthy. 97 points.
The fruit for both the Jack Mann and the C. W. Ferguson cabernet comes from the Justin vineyard in the Frankland region, with the Jack Mann coming off the higher parts of the vineyard and the C.W. Ferguson from a lower section. The rows in the middle go either way, depending on the vintage.
