THE Perth-based Fine Wine Wholesaler group host what must be WA’s, and perhaps Australia’s, best organised and most creative annual wine industry trade day.
The series of educational master classes is breathtaking in its scope and expense.
This year, the cabernet master class that included such labels as Penley Estate Reserve, Pierro Reserve and Moss Wood, also included the 2009 Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon.
It was a third to a quarter of the price of the other wines in the line-up and confirmed, along with the vintages since 2005, that Wynns are back – and how!
This is still solid, dense, long and closed when compared to many softer and fruitier more recent cabernet releases, and it is a wonderful and traditional Australian Cabernet.
This is a serious wine – especially for the price.
Our final note was “yes”!
18.3 points RRP $29.50
Grant Burge was in town recently to launch the new vintage 2008 Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon.
Several of his current release shiraz and GSM blends were either wonderfully balanced and textured drinking or, quite simply, among the best values out there.
In this instance though, it is this merlot that is the crowd pleaser.
While having serious quality merlot fruit that has been handled in a modern and fresh way, this is soft, full, fruity, warm and round.
This is everything that Australians would expect from a delicious and value merlot.
17.8pts RRP $19.95
Despite a significant tradition of producing many of Australia’s greatest reds over the decades, Stephen and Prue Henschke, the current Henschke family custodians of many of South Australian vineyards, will go down as the finest wine-making generation in the family’s 144-year Australian wine history.
Tappa Pass Shiraz is one of their newer labels and the original 2002, and now this 2008, vintages are the two finest.
Wonderful now – and in 2025.
Yep, it is worth the money.
18.4pts RRP $85