Part Two – 6 June 2010

In the second half of our line up of wines made from Bordeaux varietals, there were a number of excellent wines yet again. In fact, the only wine that did not get a bronze medal or better was not made in Australia.

From a value point of view, three wines really stood out. The Angove’s Long Row cabernet is a steal at less than $10 dollars, and the Kalgan River and Palmer reds deliver great drinking enjoyment for less than $20 at the cellar door.

In the middle is my pick for the tasting. The O’Leary Walker is deserving of its gold medal and should be available for not much more than $20. This is a contender for Cabernet of the Year. Try contacting the winery as I am not sure if this is in the shops yet.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Heytesbury from Vasse Felix is a wine of immense power and structure that will live for many years. The other wine that I will recommend is a cabernet from Howard Park. Whilst their Abercrombie may be the better wine in the long term, the Leston is so delicious and well balanced that this is where I would put my money, (esp. given that it is half the price).

Finally, a word on Cullen. The Diana Madeleine topped the tasting on my score sheet, but I am not going to recommend it. The wines at Cullen are quite unique. With the move to biodynamic, Vanya Cullen has found that the grapes achieve ripeness of tannins at much lower sugar levels. Their wines in this tasting ranged from 12% – 12.5% alcohol. This has resulted in very fine wines, though the flavour spectrum is quite different to the other wines in this tasting. Primary fruit characters are definitely reduced. Time will tell whether the general drinking public will understand these wines.

Reviewed

Cullen – Cabernet Sauvignon – Diana Madeleine – 2008 (18.5). Silky but very closed. The palate is seamless and very fine. This is elegant and classy. The texture is soft yet mouth-coating and the tannins are silky and very elegant. Whilst this is an excellent wine, it will not appeal to all. With 12.5% alcohol and very fine structure, it is easy to miss this wine.

O’Leary Walker – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18.5). Mortein to start with. Blackcurrant, cherry and tar. The palate has real depth and density of high quality fruit. This is generous, mouth-coating and textured. Blackcurrant, raspberry, tar and a touch of menthol to close. High quality oak is absorbed by the fruit and adds to the close. This wine is the opposite of the Cullen. It is a wine that anyone can enjoy. A very good drink.

Vasse Felix – Cabernet Sauvignon – Heytesbury – 2007 (18.5). Lovely fruit on this. Ripe, structured, intense and dense. Extraordinarily powerful fruit, but the palate is still coming together as the high quality oak is a touch obvious. A very intense wine that demands 10 years in the cellar, and deserves 20.

Howard Park – Cabernet Sauvignon – Leston – 2008 (18.2). Alluring and intriguing. This has hints of many of the other wines in the tasting. Red fruits and cedar are predominant. The finish is structured, dense and closed. This is a potential star. (We had a glass of this the next night with pizza, and it was fabulous).

Brown Brothers – Cabernet Sauvignon – Patricia – 2005 (18). More Bordeaux-like to start; this has a touch of savoury notes to the ripe and elegant fruit. There is even a touch of pepper to close. Red fruits are shy, though there is a touch of stewed fruit to close. A textured wine that will show its best in 5 -10 years.

Howard Park – Cabernet Sauvignon – Abercrombie – 2008 (18+). Concentrated ripe fruit on the nose with blackcurrant and cedar. The palate is firm, dense, textured and powerful. The acids and tannins are firm, but this will improve with age. Give it ten years and you will be amply rewarded.

Kalgan River – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2008 (18). Obvious cooler fruit characters here, though still ripe and lifted. There is menthol, blackcurrant and spice. The palate is fantastic. The fruit flavours run across the spectrum and fan out and coat the tongue. Quite silky and seamless. Excellent length and texture to an early drinking style. At $18.50 per bottle from the winery, this is great value.

Palmer – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2007 (17.9). Starts to sing as it opens up with fresh red and black fruit. Vanillin oak is notable, but this is fine and will integrate further. Blackcurrant, eucalypt, mint and spice all make an appearance on the palate. The tannins, (fruit and oak), are firm but will soften. Good value at $19 from the winery.

Mt Horricks – Cabernet – 2008 (17.7). More plumy fruit on the nose, with sultanas and with a touch of licorice and camphor. This really evolved with air to develop some lovely mint and blackcurrant. The palate is fresh, with juicy fruit, plum, prune, licorice and a touch of cedary oak. This is different in style to the wines from Margaret River, but it is very good drinking.

Brookland Valley – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – 2008 (17.7). Lovely fruit. Fresh and plump, with real attack and thrust on the palate to start and with soft, plump, plumy fruit on the finish. This is great drinking and very accessible. (I can’t wait to try the reserve).

Angove – Cabernet Sauvignon – Long Row – 2008 (17.3). Dense and closed. Hints at cool climate fruit. More fly spray on this and the structure is good. The fruit is a bit shy, but at under $10, why not put a few in the cupboard and see how they develop.

Howard Park – Cabernet – Scotsdale – 2008 (17.3). Classic cabernet nose with a touch of cassis, ribena, redcurrant and spice. The palate is supple, soft, round and generous with more ripe fruit. This is quite a fruit-forward style that is easy to drink right now, though the fine tannins and length ensure that it will improve with age.

Cullen – Cabernet Sauvignon – Red – 2008 (17). Closed but promising. Fine, tight and closed on the palate. Some redcurrant and vanillin oak to close. Try again in a year or two.

Mount Avoca – Merlot – 2008 (17). Forward, fresh and plumy fruit on the nose. The palate is full of soft, round and succulent red berries. Really good drinking in a less complicated style.

Wine By Brad – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot – 2008. (16.9). Dense fruit and with a touch of fresh ocean characters. . Ribena and cedar on the palate with a touch of stewed fruit to close. This is in the more herbal spectrum, yet has sweet fruit to close.

Cullen – Merlot/Petit Verdot/Malbec – Mangan – 2008 (16.8). Quite dusty to start, with plenty of plumy fruit with cherry and spice. This is an interesting wine, but not typical. (This uses varieties from Bordeaux other than cabernet sauvignon and gets the plumy characters from the merlot).