Session
4: Historical perspective
An incredible tasting
that formed the centrepoint of the inaugural Landmark Australia
Tutorial
‘It has taken nine months to put
this session together,’ announced Andrew Caillard as he introduced
the most eagerly awaited tasting of the Landmark Tutorial.
‘Finding some of these wines has been really difficult.’
Appropriately, Andrew was joined on
the podium (actually, it was just a table at the front of the room)
by James Halliday, someone with an incredible perspective on this
topic.
In front of each of us were 20
glasses of wine that, together, constituted one of the most
remarkable tasting I have ever experienced. So exciting was the
line-up that as we sat down to taste, the atmosphere in the room was
electrifying. The anticipation in the air was almost tangible - it
was like the buzz you get at a great sporting occasion just before
commencement of play.
Caillard emphasized that this was
an unrepeatable tasting, with wines that we will never see again. He
then went to list some of the most famous bottles of Australian wine
history, which sadly, are pretty much unavailable now. Caillard had
tried to get some old Maurice O’Shea wines to put in the line-up,
but these are now almost impossible to source. O’Shea is perhaps
the greatest name in Australian wine history, and his 1937 Mount
Pleasant Martinent one of the best ever Aussie wines. Other names
mentioned included Jack Mann’s 1937 Houghton White Burgundy,
Chateau Reynella Burgundy 1938, Hardy’s VP 1945, Lindemans Bin
4080 Hunter River Burgundy 1945 and Penfolds Kalimna Cabernet 1948.
So we began.
1954 Seppelt Great Western
Hermitage K72 Shiraz, Great Western, Grampians
This was made by Colin Preece, who studied at Roseworthy and started
making wine at Seppeltsfield. He moved to Great Western and started
making remarkable table wines and sparklers. ‘Colin Preece was an
unusual winemaker,’ says James Halliday. ‘He used to back blend
almost all his show wines with two or three older vintages on hand,
so this 1954 will have even older wine in it.’ Preece would seldom
pick before the grapes were 14-15 Baume and then he watered the
juice back to get the alcohol right. In comparison, Maurice O’Shea
used blocks of ice to cool the ferments down, to the same effect.
Most of these wines were made in limited quantities of 500 cases or
fewer. They weren’t terribly expensive so when they were released
they tended to get drunk.
The wine is a brown colour, with a
sweet aromatic nose of fudge, toffee and subtle raisiny qualities.
There’s some lifted acidity. The palate is earthy and herby with
good acidity. No fruit remains, and it tastes a bit like an oloroso
sherry, with some citrusy notes on the finish. Hard to rate, because
there is not much wine character left. What is left is nicely
balanced.
1955 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange
Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Multi-region South Australia An unsung hero in the Grange story is Ray Beckwith, the Penfolds
chemist who was much involved in Grange and realized the
relationship between pH and wine stability. ‘His contribution is
quite profound,’ says Caillard. Ray Beckwith won the Maurice
O’Shea award in 2008 at the age of 96. The idea of a multi
vineyard wine such as Grange was perfectly natural because of the
fortified wine heritage. The main feature of the house style was
barrel fermentation, where wine of 1–2 Baume goes to complete its
fermentation in oak. It is pure coincidence that this practice was
adopted by Max Schubert. On his travels in Bordeaux he had seen it
done, but this was because in the financially strapped circumstances
just after the war, the winemakers needed the vats to be clear and
so went to barrel earlier than they’d have wanted to. 1951 was the
first vintage of Grange; an experiment. 1952 was the first
commercial release. In 1956 Schubert was told to stop making it, but
after a few years he entered the 1955 in national shows and it swept
the floor. The wines had been totally misunderstood by the Penfolds
hierarchy.
Deep brown in colour. Warm, intense
and spicy on the nose with some citrus fruit, tar, raisin and cask
notes. Very firm and intense. The palate is warm, rich, intense and
spicy with dense, structured, earthy fruit. There’s not much fruit
left, but the wine is still really alive and intense. Long finish
with tar, spice, prunes and raisins. This bottle had been recorked
by one of the Penfolds clinics. 95/100
1955 Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Michael Shiraz, Coonawarra The Coonawarra story is more modern one. Bill Redman was one of
the first here, and his 1955 Michael was a freak wine. At this stage
there was no electric power in the region. The wine was made at
Chateau Comaum by Norman Walker, and it was matured in second-hand
spirit casks. They were never able to reproduce this 1955.
Deep brown colour, with some red
hints. Lovely fresh, earthy, spicy nose with some warm red fruit
notes. The palate has some earthy notes under the fruit. It’s
drying and earthy with some nice complexity. Firm, earthy and
intense with good structure. The fruit has faded: this is old, but
it’s really interesting. Lively finish with some citrus notes and
a long finish. 94/100
1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet
Sauvignon/Shiraz, Coonawarra /(Kalimna) Barossa Valley This is probably one of Australia’s most celebrated wines. On
the show circuit, it won 19 trophies and numerous gold medals. A
classic blend of Shiraz and Cabernet, with the former coming from
the Kalimna vineyard in the Barossa Valley, and the latter from
Coonawarra. This was a region Max Schubert wasn’t really
interested in as he was developing Grange, but he visited and as a
result Penfolds purchased some blocks here. ‘We are now in the
realm of bottle variation,’ says James Halliday. ’10 years ago
this wine was bulletproof.’ He adds: ‘at its peak, this was the
all-time single great Australian wine.’ The feeling is that Bin60A
is now beginning to enter its slow decline phase. ‘It’s starting
to become a beautiful grandmother.’ Andrew Caillard says that this
historic wine is now getting very rare. The auction price is around
A$3500, although one sale netted a record price of $5500.
It is a red/brown colour with a
browning rim. The nose is fresh, earthy, green and a bit herby with
wonderful purity of fruit. It’s really elegant with some fruit
still. The palate shows wonderfully fresh, pure red fruits. Really
focused and elegant with vibrant, juicy freshness and hints of meat.
Spicy, elegant and concentrated with hints of mint. Still some
structure, but the tannins are soft. Now fully mature with some fine
spice notes. A really beautiful wine. 97/100
A
video of Andrew and James talking about this famous wine:
1971 Penfolds Grange
Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Multi-region South Australia ‘If you had to pick a wine which fulfilled the ambition of
Grange it would have to be the 1971,’ said Max Schubert in 1993.
This, a blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet from Barossa, Clare,
Magill Estate (Adelaide) and Coonawarra, has an unusually low
alcohol level of 11.5% alcohol.
Fresh, lifted nose with lovely
pure, rich dark fruits together with more evolved earth and spice
notes. Fresh still. The palate is warm, spicy, tannic and earthy
with good spicy structure. It’s complex, powerful, spicy and
tannic with notes of earth and tar. A really firm wine with lots of
interest. A lovely Grange with an amazing finish. 96/100
1982 Wynns Coonawarra Estate
John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra ‘A hugely famous wine that spawned a new direction in fine
wine making,’ says Caillard. It was made by John Wade, and is a
selection of the very best fruit aged for 24–48 months in oak.
Lovely gravelly, earthy edge to the slightly sappy, elegant
blackcurrant and red berry fruit. Subtle and sophisticated. The
palate is beautifully elegant with wonderfully expressive red fruits
and beautiful balance, with the oak fitting in really well.
Super-sophisticated and drinking perfectly now. 95/100
1985 Wendouree Shiraz, Clare
Valley Roly Birks did 60 vintages here. In 1974 Wendouree was bought by
Tony and Lita Brady, and Stephen George has been co-winemaker since
1981. The wine comes from 1890 plantings, producing small berries
with thick skins. Distinctive iodine nose is really refined, savoury
and fresh. Remarkably taut. The palate has some meaty, stewed plum
notes. Warm with earth and iodine character as well as fresh,
savoury red fruits, firm tannins and a fresh, savoury edge. An
unusual, striking wine which has some difficult edges but is
compelling. 93/100
1986 Henschke Hill of Grace
Shiraz, Eden Valley Australia’s most famous single-vineyard wine. Deep red colour
with a brown rim. Smooth, pure and quite dense with soft tannins
under the sweet dark fruits. There’s some nice earthy complexity
with a long, smooth, savoury finish. A broad, harmonious wine
showing some evolution. Mellow stuff, in a soft, smooth style.
92/100
1986 Brokenwood Hermitage
Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter A truly great wine. Fresh nose with lovely focus and intense
red/black fruits. Very focused with lovely fruit quality. Complex.
The palate is fresh with spicy, earthy red fruits and amazing
acidity and structure. Superbly elegant and fresh with beautiful
intensity and concentration. The freshness here is amazing with
beautiful acidity and complexity. 97/100
1990 Mount Mary Vineyard
Lilydale Cabernets Quintet, Yarra Valley Wonderfully focused sweet, pure, sophisticated nose with pure
berry fruits and lovely precision and purity. Ripe but well defined.
The palate is pure with amazing focus and clarity to the berry
fruits with some richness, but also some great acidity and
freshness. A stunning wine with concentration, focus and elegance.
96/100
1995 Cullen Wines Cabernet
Sauvignon Merlot, Margaret River Since 2001 this wine has been renamed the Diana Madeline
Cabernet Merlot. Lovely pure blackcurrant fruit nose with a refined,
mineralic, gravelly edge. The palate has sweet, expressive
blackcurrant fruit with some earthy, gravelly notes providing a
savoury counter. This is focused and precise with lovely fruit.
Deliciously intense: big but elegant, and still quite primary.
94/100
1996 Clarendon Hills Astralis
Vineyard Shiraz (Syrah), McLaren Vale ‘Roman Bratasiuk completely broke the mould during the
1990s,’ says Caillard. ‘The Australian wine show system, through
its awarding of trophies and gold medals, was championing a narrow
style range. The release of the 1996 Astralis provoked a political
schism among Australian wine show judges and commentators. An
intensely concentrated single-vineyard wine from 35- to 75-yearold
vines, its exotic, funky edge challenged the established status quo.
Robert Parker, the American wine critic, lionized the wine,
resulting in a Shiraz celebrated overseas but not truly recognized
at home.’ Caillard says that Autsralia simply didn’t see cult
wines like this coming. They sparked controversy in Australia as
interest from the US focused not on the established classics, but
the newcomers like this, Torbreck’s Run Rig and Chris Ringland’s
Three Rivers. This is sweet, lush, pure nose with some spicy meaty
notes, and an iodine-like edge. Sweet palate is dense, rich and
meaty with bold, spicy fruit. A rich, complex, meaty wine with real
interest. It’s not just about sweet fruit, but has some complexing
Brettanomyces character
which works rather well in the context of the sweet fruit. Unusual
and delicious. 94/100
1996 Penfolds Block 42 Kalimna
Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley This vineyard block, planted in 1888, represents the oldest
Cabernet plantings in the world. But this wine has only been made in
eight vintages: 48, 52, 53, 61, 63, 64, 96 and 2004. Deliciously
savoury and spicy red berry and blackcurrant nose. The palate is
fresh and firm with lovely dense forward fruit, with lively acidity.
A concentrated, firm, dense wine with lovely structure and a long
future ahead of it. Great intensity and freshness. 93/100
1996 Best’s Wines Thomson
Family Great Western Shiraz, Great Western, Grampians Minty, meaty dark fruits nose. The palate has an unusual
liqueur-like sweet cherry and plum character with a slightly herby,
rubbery edge. There’s an elegance here, but also some unusual
leathery, herby notes. Sweet and a bit stewed. 91/100
1998 Petaluma Coonawarra
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Fresh, pure and minty with subtly gravelly notes to the nose,
which shows attractive blackcurrant fruit. The palate is fresh and
pure, showing some elegance, with blackcurrant fruit supported by
good acidity and subtly gravelly notes. Pure and focused, this is an
open, expressive wine. 94/100
1999 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz
Viognier, Barossa Valley Intensely fruity, smooth, sweet dark fruits nose is chocolately,
sweet and spicy. The palate is fresh, smooth and intense with lush
dark fruits as well as lively spiciness. This is a striking,
powerful, sweetly fruited wine with striking aromatics. 93/100
2001 Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot
Noir, South Gippsland Beautifully aromatic nose is sweet, intense, herby and slightly
meaty, with dark cherry and plum fruit. Complex and beguiling. The
palate shows a bit of evolution, with some sweet and sour character,
and sweet earthy, herby, undergrowth notes alongside the dark cherry
and plum fruit. Strange but lovely; odd but brilliant. 95/100
2001 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier,
Canberra District Amazingly sweet, open aromatic on the nose showing an apricotty
twist to the beautifully pure, subtly meaty dark fruits. Amazing
sweet fruit aromatics. The palate is super-elegant and expressive
with finesse and elegance to the sweet, bright red and black fruits.
A remarkable wine. 95/100
2002 Seppelt St Peters Great
Western Shiraz, Great Western, Grampians A dark wine. Amazingly intense sweet dark fruits nose. The
palate is spicy, rich and oaky with lovely density. A rich, bold,
spicy style with some chocolatey richness. A massive wine with lots
of oak, this may age nicely. 92/100
2004 Balnaves of Coonawarra The
Tally Cabernet Sauvignon Wonderfully intense blackberry and blackcurrant nose with a dark
gravelly depth to it. Quite rich with some oak. The palate has nice
freshness and rich blackcurrant fruit. Great depth with nice focus
and the potential for further development. 94/100
