Tasting Notes
CAPE MENTELLE : Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Cape Mentelle has been through major refinement of style. There is no question that its highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon has advanced forward in a massive way. The wine has always been a bellwether of the Margaret River genre. The appointment of Rob Mann – a grandson of Jack Mann – was inspired to say the least. It’s not easy to step into the shoes of a visionary winemaker like David Hohnen, the founder of Cape Mentelle. There is a huge history here of pioneering, Jimmy Watson trophy triumphs and leading edge winemaking philosophy. Rob Mann has huge boots to fill and great expectations to satisfy. His 2008 Cabernet is a tour de force; the style is compelling, forceful and masculine. It is an antipodean Latour - a wonderful wine that is all energy and substance. It is very intense with crushed blackcurrant/ garrigue aromas and savoury oak notes,. The palate is muscular yet toned like a race horse. The quality of the tannins is exemplary. They are sinewy but ripe and long. There’s richness and weight, ginger/ vanillin oak nuances and meaty complexity. It finishes chalky firm and the flavours lengthen down the back palate. The style moves away from a single vineyard wine. A touch of Wilyabrup fruit brings generosity and loosens up the texture. In short; it’s a great Cape Mentelle vintage and a brilliant follow up to the impressive 2007. This will certainly develop well in the cellar. I can’t recommend this wine more highly. Andrew Caillard, MW
CULLEN WINES : Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2008
Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot is regarded as a benchmark style, a first growth Margaret River Cabernet with a distinguished bloodline of vintages. Its short history is inextricably linked to development of the modern Australian wine industry. It has made astonishing advances over the last 15 years particularly in vineyard management and winery practices. Science lead winemaking philosophies have gradually morphed into a meaningful art-form and genuine philosophy of sustainability. Vanya Cullen has become the high priestess of the biodynamic wine movement and a foil to the world of corporate wine. It’s almost as if a religious conversion has taken place. There is definitely something going on here. The wines strike a distinctive chord evoking a strong scent of place and individual voice. There is an energy, airy freshness, sapidity and effortless natural structure in the wines. It’s what makes the Diane Madeline Cabernet Merlot so intriguing and appealing. It is infuriatingly difficult to pin down or explain yet it possesses such a unique presence.
Not many people will know about Trevor Kent, the quietly spoken, incredibly thoughtful and engaging winemaker at Cullen. He is the man who puts many of the fine ideas and innovations into practice. I would say that he is probably one of the great unsung winemakers of his generation. Vanya Cullen and Trevor Kent have created an extraordinary synergy. It’s a powerful, if not magical combination of wits and skills. It’s hard not to be drawn by such luminosity of thinking, the abundantly healthy glow of the vineyards and the tonality, holism and clarity of the wines. The 2008 Cabernets are delicate and perfumed with pure cassis/ plum/ star anise aromas with touches of sage, sweet plummy/ blackcurrant flavours, savoury new oak and fine crisp lacy tannins. The merlot shows some black cherry/ red currant fruit, plenty of buoyancy and chocolaty structure. Cabernet Franc will add mulberry/ floral aromatics and stiff brush of tannins. The Petit Verdot will bring raspberry/ red fruit notes and juiciness on the palate. As Trevor Kent says; “if fine wine is a religion, you have to believe.” This vintage will surely attract more than its fair share of disciples.
- Andrew Caillard, MW
DEVILS LAIR :
The Devil's Lair vineyards – located in the southern part of the Margaret River region and planted in 1981 - have now reached a compelling level of maturity. Stuart Pym who was the previous winemaker did a fantastic job in getting the wines to this point. The appointment of Oliver Crawford, long time Penfolds white winemaker, is something of a coup. Crawford is one of the most switched on winemakers of his generation. He is gentle and tough. When Penfolds Yattarna was first released it attracted extraordinary media interest. Its reputation as ‘White Grange’ was never truly fulfilled until Crawford stepped up to the plate. While it is early days I think Devil’s Lair has the vineyards and the winemaking prowess to potentially deliver a truly great Margaret River Chardonnay. While Crawford brings a fresh and focussed approach, Charlotte Newton, Oliver’s second in command and a highly competent winemaker in her own right, brings continuity and a lovely enthusiasm and knowledge to the mix. This is definitely one of the wineries to watch.
Chardonnay 2008:
The 2008 Chardonnay is a delicious rendition of the Margaret River style with intense floral/ camomile/ grapefruit/ pear skin aromas, buoyancy of fruit and a long bead of acidity. The flavours are long and sweet and drop down the back palate. When released the wine will show more flavour development and creaminess. Considering the price this delivers astonishing value for money. Andrew Caillard, MW
Cabernet Sauvignon 2008:
The 2008 Cabernet Merlot is also looking impressive with intense crushed blackcurrant/cedar/violet/ garrigue aromas, plenty of fruit generosity, underlying savoury oak and loose knit fine grainy tannins. Crawford says he will bottle the wine a touch earlier to preserve fruit quality and freshness. The 2008 will be a very approachable style possessing plenty of flavour, proportion and finesse. The tannins are really are of good quality. Indeed it is in every respect the best vintage ever from this estate.Andrew Caillard, MW
HOUGHTON : Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Houghton is an important part of Western Australia’s wine history and the place where Jack Mann crafted some of the State’s most memorable wines during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Houghton’s Jack Mann Cabernet is a single vineyard wine made from selected parcels off the Justin Vineyard at Frankland River in the Great Southern. Vinification takes place at Houghton’s rambling winery in the Swan valley. The wine is generally matured in barrel for up to 24 months and released a few years later. It has established quite a following among wine judges and cognoscenti. Indeed I have always thought of Jack Mann as being something of a trophy type wine. This usually means the wine is a safe bet rather than anything to get excited about. As soon as I smelled the barrel samples, I realised that this preconception was not only utterly wrong, but that the 2008 Jack Mann is something very special and important. Here is a wine that completely evokes the scent of place with crushed blackcurrant/dark cherry/ mulberry/ herb garden aromas, beautiful concentration, muscular but round, granular, perfectly ripe tannins and tremendous drive of flavours. You can literally smell the earthy granitic notes of soil in the wine. This is undoubtedly a great Jack Mann in the making and already something of a personal achievement for Houghton’s winemaker Rob Bowen. I think it’s potentially one of the most exciting wines to have been made from this remote region. The final blend is yet to be finalised but the components are sublime; first Growth stuff in my opinion. Andrew Caillard, MW
HOWARD PARK : Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Howard Park Cabernet is one of Western Australia’s great wine styles. The wine derives principally from the 25 year old Dennis Vineyard in the Great Southern Region. The vineyard is north-facing, well –ventilated and planted on lateritic soils; gravely loams and deep clays.
Like many wineries in the region, Howard Park has invested in sorting tables. This has had a massive impact on quality. Sappy green characters derived from matter other than grape (MOG) and over ripe notes from shrivelled berries are eliminated prior to vinification. This has resulted in wines with better fruit definition. The wine is naturally fermented in static open top fermenters, regularly plunged, basket pressed and matured in oak for around 24 months (roughly around 65% -75% new) before blending and bottling. Some components are barrel fermented to add complexity and texture. Howard Park follows a very simple modus operandi. The winemakers go to wherever the grapes grow best. Veteran winemaker Tony Davis who heads up the team says “the fruit always stands up regardless of the winemaker”. The wines are beautifully pitched with plenty of fruit sweetness and flavour richness. Howard Park Cabernet – a multi-vineyard, multi-regional blend – is one of the most convincing Australian house style type wines. Amy and Jeff Burch are rebadging the wine as Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet in memory of Jeff’s grandfather.
The 2008s are looking very impressive. The wines all have deep blood red colours. One sample form Forest Hill showed intense cassis/ mulberry/ pure fruit aromas, underlying ginger/ cedar oak and chocolaty fine lacy tannins. The main components from the Dennis Vineyard showed intense espresso/mocha/ paneforte aromas and vanilla/nougat nuances, chocolaty fine tannins, incredible richness, volume and weight. The wine may have a touch of Merlot or Cabernet Franc to add perfume, texture and complexity. The 2008 Howard Park Cabernet will be quite something when it is finally assembled. The fruit is beautifully defined, opulent and seductive. The tannin quality is top notch; firm, loose knit and chocolaty. And the St Martin French oak barrels give an extra level of complexity and richness.
Andrew Caillard, MW
LEEUWIN ESTATE : Leeuwin Estate is one of the greatest and most beautiful wine properties in Australia. It represents a major confluence of the arts, music, food and wine. It is reminiscent of a 19th century English Estate with it beautifully kempt gardens, sprawling lawns, artificial lake/ dam and stands of majestic trees. The vineyards gracefully hug the contours in serpentine synchronisation. This is God’s country alright; an earthly Eden. The forbidden fruit, the original sin is the inimitable Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. This sapid elixir of happiness is dangerously easy to drink and thought provoking. It is the ultimate communion wine, a major reference point and one of Australia’s greatest, most gorgeous and seductive styles. Vintage after vintage it proves its worth as a Grand Cru wine. The Art Series Chardonnay is at its exquisite best and the cabernet Sauvignon is absolutely kicking goals. These wines are a study of selection, precision and leadership. The latter ingredient is provided by owners Trish and Dennis Horgan. Without their personal style, direction and generosity of spirit, Leewuin Estate, its wines and the reputation of the region would simply not be what it is today.
Art Series Chardonnay 2008
While it was an early vintage the fruit “stood up really well”. I loved the barrel samples. The wines have very intense lime/ grapefruit/ juicy pear/ camomile aromas, a lovely core of fruit, well poised savoury oak, barrel ferment characters and yeasty complexity. The bright acidities are classically indelible and carry the flavours across the palate. The wine is really fresh, rich, powerful and minerally.
Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
This wine continues to build momentum. The tannins are riper and the fruit “like black pearls’ is perfectly pitched. The alcohols have come down and the proportion of new oak has been matched to the overall refinement of aromas and flavours. Leeuwin Estate is one of the many wineries using sorting trays to eliminate petioles and shot berries. The results over the last few years are remarkable. The addition of Wilyabrup fruit – now common place with the southern Margaret River wineries brings a plummy richness and foils the firm brushstroke of southern fruit. I am immensely impressed by the progress of this wine style. It shows intense cassis/ elderberry/ mulberry/ herb garden/ sage aromas, chocolaty tannins and underlying savoury oak. A touch of Petit Verdot adds perfume and texture. The 2008 will not disappoint and has a huge future in the cellar.
Andrew Caillard, MW
MOSS WOOD : Cabernet Sauvignon Moss Wood is a delightfully eccentric type of place. The buildings are slightly ramshackle, but the vineyards are beautifully kempt and ordered. You get the feeling that priorities are all in the correct order here. This is not a show case winery. It’s more like a working farm. The evolution of wine style has been a hit and miss affair but over the decades the wines have slowly progressed to one of the most poetic and gorgeously scented Australian Cabernets. Fruit exposure is a priority in the vineyard. The combination of extended skin maceration and the adoption of partial whole berry fermentation and regular pigeage have resulted in more gentle phenolic extraction and optimisation of colour and flavour.
2008 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant follow up vintage to the outstanding 2007. It is textbook Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon showing all the puissance and elegance of a great year. Its blood red coloured with intense cass is/ blackberry/ mulberry/ herb garden aromas and underlying savoury/ mocha oak. The palate is rich and supple with mulberry/ blackcurrant/ sage flavours, pencil cedar/ mocha oak notes and fine grained tannins. It finishes long and sweet, firm and tight. This is a very exciting and stylish Moss Wood with understated power and finesse. 2007 and 2008 are a pigeon pair of excellence. Andrew Caillard, MW
PIERRO : Chardonnay 2008
Pierro has gone from strength to strength. The fastidious attention to detail, yet apparent laissez-faire approach seem almost contradictory, yet this encapsulates the character of Dr Mike Peterkin. His laconic laid back seriousness could almost describe the style of wine. While it is idiosyncratic and utterly Australian, it is also fits into the idiom of a grand cru type wine. The sheer consistency and overall quality is outstanding. It is a hugely satisfying wine and one of Australia’s great Chardonnays,
The Pierro Vineyard is one of the loveliest vineyards in Margaret River. It is tended with extreme care and while not officially organic, low input principles apply. Mike Peterkin was preaching sustainability and equilibrium long before it became fashionable. The style has been a longstanding foil to Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. Pierro Chardonnay tends to be a touch more powerful and richer with creamier texture and generous minerally flavours. A bead of acidity cuts along the palate giving freshness and vitality. These beautiful and limited production wines are fun and deliciously serious.
The 2008s look very impressive with strong cashew nut/ lemon curd/ leesy/ ginger oak aromas and sweet lemon curd/ grapefruit flavours, plenty of underlying new oak, richness, body and weight. A core of indelible acidity livens up the palate. It finishes a touch al-dente, long and sweet. It’s incredibly fragrant, minerally and fresh. It will be an outstanding vintage for Pierro and one with the structure to age. Andrew Caillard, MW
PLANTAGENET : Shiraz 2008
Plantagenet was the first winery established in the Great Southern Region by Tony Smith a member of the prominent British bookselling family. The winery has enjoyed a succession of outstanding winemakers. Rob Bowen, Houghton’s current senor winemaker, John Wade and Gavin Berry have all made an important impression in this emerging region. The Shiraz is regarded as a benchmark Western Australian style and a foil to the densely rich and strongly flavoured shirazes of the Barossa and McLaren Vale. In 2007 Cape Mentelle’s former winemaker John Durham took over winemaking responsibility. He is a greatly experienced and sensitive winemaker with a reputation for making wines of exquisite proportion. He is already making a huge impact on the overall style. The recent shirazes have a compelling freshness and vitality.
Plantagenet Shiraz – first vintage 1974 – illustrates the strength of this variety in the Great Southern. The wine derives principally from the estate’s cool climate vineyards Bouverie and Wyjup, the warmer sited Charleston Vineyard and the ten year old Rocky Horror Vineyard. The region is well known for it s warm days but cool nights. This in theory preserves fruit quality and contributes to finer palate structures. The wine is matured in 40% new and old French oak for a period of 16-18 months. Overall The 2008s are showing intense inky/ blackberry/ mocha/ brambly/ cranberry aromas, plenty of sweetness of fruit and dense ripe chocolaty tannins. The oak is completely married in the wine and barely noticeable. The Bouverie samples were particularly impressive with their intense liquorice/ blackberry/ blueberry brambly/ aniseed aromas and thick juicy meaty flavours. Like the Houghton’s Jack Mann you can almost smell and taste the soil in the wine. This is a definitive vintage for Plantagenet. In the context of the Great Wine Estates offer the Shiraz represents outstanding value. Andrew Caillard, MW
VASSE FELIX : Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
The first thing you notice when entering the Vasse Felix winery is the fastidious attention to detail. You could happily eat breakfast off the floor. Everything is in immaculate condition and all the equipment is stowed away in the right place. Every red wine barrel, stacked four or five high, has been stained around its waist with red wine. It’s not so much a scene of beauty, but cleanliness and order. Winemaker Virginia Wilcox has done a fabulous job in pulling the many strings together. She has tip-top resources, a very committed team of winemakers and that extra je ne sais quoi that comes with transcendent winemaking. A half decent memory and climbing fitness is a pre-requisite here. The barrel storage is extensive to say the least and it’s not an easy task drawing samples. I tasted several barrel samples of the 2008 Heytesbury vintage with winemakers Laura Shattock and Jarrad Olsen. The wine is now a Cabernet based wine and is back more or less to a Margaret River origin. A touch of Frankland River material is used to add buoyancy and minerality to the wine. Shiraz has been dropped out of more recent vintages which is a good thing. A Major source is the original Estate block first planted in 1975. The wine shows gorgeous fresh blackcurrant pastille/ camomile/ sage aromas, plenty of fruit sweetness and loose-knit fine chalky tannins. Other sample showed classical cassis/ cedar aromas, savoury/ vanilla oak and fine grainy tannins. The beautifully fragrant Petit Verdot will give extra lift and camomile/ star jasmine notes. Malbec does particularly well in Margaret River. It’s black, dense, meaty and chocolate textured. All up you can see that the material is really good. The final blend will be a lovely scented and generously proportioned wine with plenty of fruit sweetness, cedary notes and savoury loose knit tannins. Andrew Caillard, MW
VOYAGER ESTATE : Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008
Voyager Estate is one of the most beautiful properties in the region. Proprietor Michael Wright has a reputation for fastidious attention to detail. He is a renowned teetotaller, but this does not stop him from running one of the most incredible winery operations in Australia. Fabulous is probably the best word to describe the Cape Dutch Architecture, landscaped grounds, rose gardens and perfectly situated vineyards. The wine business is run by Alexandra (Alex) Wright a highly engaging and smart wine professional who has been able to translate her father’s outwardly eccentric vision into something tangible and meaningful. Winemaker Cliff Royle and Viticulturalist Steve James are both very motivated and ambitious. The wines across the board are spectacularly brilliant and bloody good value. Like the enormous flag pole that greets Voyager Estate’s visitors, these wines possess an authoritative house style and a compelling stamp of deliciousness. Technical mastery, winemaking panache and marketing flair all combine to make this one of Margaret River’s landmark producers.
The 2008s are looking marvellous. Indeed a vintage picture is beginning to form. The barrel samples show lovely fragrance and buoyancy of fruit. The cabernet sauvignons showed pure cassis/ fruit pastille/ herb garden/ violet aromas, lovely concentration and fine grainy loose knit tannins. Others displayed intense dark chocolate/ espresso/ mulberry notes and firmer/ slinkier structures; new oak always in the background and in perfect cahoots with the fruit. Merlot, which will only comprise somewhere between 5% and 10% of the blend was quite floral with fruit generosity and supple tannins. Voyager Estate has also been sourcing fruit from Wilyabrup – in central Margaret River – to add texture and richness. The 2008 Voyager Estate Cabernet is going to be a very classical wine if not a benchmark for the region. I have always loved the freshness and minerality of the Voyager Estate Chardonnay style. Andrew Caillard, MW
XANADU : (Best Barrel Selection) Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
The Rathbone Wine Group, owners of Yering Station, Mount Langi Ghiran and Parker Coonawarra Estate are in the midst of completely overhauling Xanadu wines. This Estate, adjoining Cape Mentelle has incredible potential. The vineyard known as the Lagan Block – is regarded as a prime piece of dirt in Margaret River. The vineyards are being reworked or replanted to maximise the full potential of the wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is particularly suited to these parts. The climatic data is very similar to the northern Medoc in Bordeaux. The fruit has tended to possess strong violet/ brambly aromas and muscular/ sinewy tannins, not so dissimilar to the sub regional character of St Estephe. The aim in recent years has been to improve the tannin quality, richness and flavour of the grapes. This has been achieved through the introduction of cane pruning, vigour reducing ‘kicker canes’, re-orientation of vines, sprawling canopies and lowering yields. The purchase of a vineyard in Stevens Road – adjacent to Voyager Estate and access to Wilyabrup fruit have further improved fruit sourcing, winemaking and blending options. Winemaking philosophy is geared towards tannin management and flavour development. Although it was a brilliant grape growing season, poor flowering of eucalypt trees resulted in local bird species looking for alternative food sources. This has always been a problem in Margaret River, but in 2008 it was significant. Without bird netting the crop may have been lost.
Glenn Goodall is a highly intuitive and capable winemaker with a strong desire to make something interesting and different. I tasted through many barrels and found them all fresh, fragrant and full of sweet fruit. The Estate samples showed dark chocolate/ bramble/ mulberry aromas, plush fruit richness and chalky dense tannins. Stevens Road material displayed strong elderberry/ espresso aromas and sinewy dry tannins. The Wilyabrup wines were very floral with camomile/ cassis/ redcurrant/ plum aromas and soft fleshy fruit. Yallingup wines from the Northern part of Margaret River showed dark cherry/ crushed blackcurrant aromas and chocolaty tannins. A few barrel fermented wines showed lovely richness and flavour. I can see all the pure colours of the vintage. This is clearly an outstanding year for Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon.
Andrew Caillard, MW
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