Mildara Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 – Whether you choose to trace the region’s wine establishment to John Riddoch’s founding of Penola Fruit Colony in 1890 or to the first wines made around 1900, it doesn’t really matter. Until the 1960s, the fame of the Southeast was entirely Konawara and that fame was based on Shiraz. Then, due to some Cabernet Sauvignon made by Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Owen Redman (then at Rouge Homme) and Lindeman’s – but as much as the massive growth of Cabernet cultivation across the country in the 1970s – the Coonawarra Cabernet Center became Australia.
When Kunawara’s famous ‘cigar’ from the soil of Terra Rossa came close to being fully grown, several companies expanded their vineyards in the red soil of Padtaway, about 80 kilometers to the north. Although originally established as a warmer, more consistent area for red wine than Coonawarra, Padthaway has quickly become the source of Australia’s greatest chardonnays, a position it held for a decade and is now largely forgotten. The vineyards returned to about 64% of the red cultivars. It is now uncommon to see Padthaway’s name on wine labels, although the 3,300-hectare area still supplies grapes to many large companies and a few smaller specialty producers.
Mildara Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Bordertown, in the North, isn’t a name you often see on a label either, at least not the front name. Although it has not yet attained the region’s official status, its hot and dry climate makes it a reliable source of grapes for some large producers as well as small wineries.
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Simultaneously with the rise of Padthaway, John Greenshields founded Koppamurra Vineyard in what we know today as Wrattonbully. This seed took a long time to grow, but Wrattonbully now has more than 2,500 hectares of vineyard – about half the size of Coonawarra – and the Koppamurra is now Whalebone Vineyard in Tapana, so Brian Croeser was impressed with his wine. Wrattonbully has a climate similar to that of Coonawarra, while the soil of Terra rossa is much older.
The most recent PB areas are Robe and Mount Benson on the west coast, which are slightly warmer and cooler than Coonawarra respectively, and Mount Gambir in the south.
The warm climate of the Australian vineyards resulted in the harvest season being about a month early. This has pushed late varieties like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon out of the danger zone, often in late April when the annual interruption in weather—which means unwanted rain—can damage the crop. Sue Hodder of Wynns Coonawarra Estate tells me that the warmer seasons were good for Coonawarra’s ripening period and the same should be true throughout the Southeast.
Our tasters in our investigation at Limestone Coast Reds had four regular employees: author, presenter and now retailer Mike Penny, educator and author Peter Bourne, wine judge and author Tony Patterson MW and myself, Nick Bolled MW, winemaking consultant. We are joined by educator and author Andrea Pritzker MW. We tasted the disguised wines, as usual, and ranked them by grape variety and then vintage.
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Several general points of tasting emerged. First, Cabernettes may have outgrown Shiraz wine, but the variety is by no means drowning out. They exhibited a range of personalities from the fragrant and resilient to the stronger build. Everything seems to come from Konawara, in appreciation of the historical connection with the area.
I was pleasantly surprised, and even impressed, by the marmots we tasted, which isn’t exactly my favorite grape variety. But when Merlot shows off real meat in the middle of the palate and eschews the flavors and bitterness that is overripe or overripe by many, I agree that it is simply delicious. And several of them, both from Wrattonbully and Coonawarra, did well on the limestone coast. Perhaps we are witnessing a better clone cultivation effect in the last decade.
Oddly enough, our top three wines were Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon with the Shiraz Cabernet blend right behind them.
2015 is clearly considered a premium southeast wine with many wines of depth and composition across all major varieties. Much worth the vault.
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However, it must be said that some wines were simply not as good as they could be. The husks are set on either side of Goldilocks ripening, showing either a lean green palate or dominated by overripe and harsh raisin and tannins flavors. The team discussed the deviations somewhat and moved on to improvements in viticulture that are too slow on some vineyards. Mike Penny was particularly candid and said that in his recent tasting of Wynns Coonawarra and Penfolds wines he shined like beacons as examples of what Coonawarra should be in particular. We thought that overripe and alcohol were not appropriate for the region, but if companies know what their market is and sell that wine, who are we to complain? Our opinions on the many over-oak wines might raise the same question.
Most wines are sealed with a screw cap or, sometimes, a composite cork. One of twelve wines with natural cork showed terrible TCA. Although not statistically significant, this strike rate is close to the 5-6% that I find common in tasting Australian wines and imported wines.
However, despite the aforementioned aberrations, I think we have found an excellent selection of wines that show distinct regional traits. The quality of this has never been better.
2015 Banks Thargo Cabernet Sauvignon ($25 AU) found Patterson enthusiastic. Started “deep and focused”. “Stewed cherry and raspberry jam. Tender, meaty and hot. It opens and becomes more complex with air.” Its flavor and bouquet evolve with the age of the bottle. The flexible and balanced taste ends with the typical tannic cut of Sauvignon Cabernet.
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2015 brand Laira One Seven One Cabernet Sauvignon ($75 AU) has an intense red fruit nose with some properties of dried herbs that develop in a bottle. The taste is well organized with a nice balance and even tannins. Pritzker noted the “beautiful scent of reds and blackberries.” “Funny and pliable with generous cassis fruits, backed by soft, ripe tannins. Excellent length and tenacity. Excellent drinkability.”
2015 Cape Jaffa Mount Benson Upwelling Cabernet Sauvignon ($29 AU) shows a very good depth of dark fruit and dried herbs on the nose with great flavors to track. “Dense and hot with faded leaf edges,” Patterson said. “The palate is very focused and warm with a strong tuft. Fruity and clear. I found the finish a little bitter, but the wine still impresses for the strength of the flavour.
The 2013 Jack Estate Mythology Cabernet Sauvignon ($55 AU) was impressive. I loved the depth of the sweet red fruit and the darker fruit on the nose, matched by a touch of oak. Benny found: “Tobacco, pepper, ripe plum fruit, and some balsamic notes in perfumes.” “Similar in palate. Cream, hot, fun. It ends with lots of pepper and great freshness. There’s kind of an unbridled edge here, full of personality, and definitely a lively expression.” The flavors are rich and there’s a very good tannin.
2016 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (AU$18) found an excited Penny. He wrote: “Lovely aroma of red currants, red berries, a touch of roast, and a touch of a bush of salt and white pepper.” “Medium weight on the palate, crunchy texture, surrounded by soft tannin. A slimmer style, yet discreet and feels chic—I love understating here.” I agreed and found hints of olive green in the red fruit and was impressed with its elasticity. Tannins are tender and the wine is now simply delicious. Very good value.
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The 2015 Katnook Estate Caledonian Cabernet Shiraz ($55) scored strong from Bourne. “It’s a very elegant, fine-grained wine with red and black fruit juice flavored with cinnamon and mocha,” he said. “Tannins go well with the fruit; the beautiful and long finish.” “Medium texture with a high density of fruit. Well balanced,” Pritzker added. I found distinct leafy notes, but a nice deep flavour. It’s ready now.
2012 Katnook Estate Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon ($100 AU) is very complex, with plenty of ripe and sweet fruit and hints of jam and chocolate. Benny was more elaborate. “The aromas of bonux, distilled meat, wet ground, figs, dates and spices with some characteristic of plum fruit,” he wrote. “Wheels on the palate – a powder of fine, rich, mocha tannins, but also shows a good, relatively fresh blackberry/plum character.” Patterson thought it was somewhat oak, while Penny concluded: “A nice, ripe, ripe wine.”
The 2016 Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon ($35 AU) was one of the best wines I’ve had. It started out slightly closed to the nose, but opened up with concentrated red and black berries. The palate has a density similar to the sweet fruit, but is only medium in texture. It is elegantly structured, balanced and contains tannins. Patterson agreed. “Aromatics of cherry and fruit with a beautiful kernel,” she wrote. “Clear and supple. Smooth structure with juicy red fruit. Discreet oak. Long and fragrant. “
2014 Leconfield Sydney Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) is also in style, combining flavors of red fruit with hints of black currant and leaf. Patterson moved again. “Lovely variety character with red fruit slices,” she said. “I enjoy strength and elegance. Limited oak, good acidity and tannin. Room for growth.” The palate is slightly richer than silk
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