Coonawarra Roadshow

Every time this comes around I ask myself whether I will attend (again) this elbows at 10 paces drink fest and, because it's quite a cheap ticket, and there are a few producers who show that I like now or have liked in the past, I turn up.
This time, though, I tried to focus entirely on Cabernet Sauvignon with relative success...

• 2013 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  ripe blackcurrant and plums, slight cedar, juicy, youthful with drying chalky tannins and non intrusive alcohol warmth though the black fruit persists underneath. Time required

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• 2013 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Harold Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Muted cedar, toast, slightly meaty with black currant fruit. In the mouth its juicy and fleshy with talc textured tannins. The fruit is savoury blackcurrant and persist long with some light earthy notes. I It's a bit different and rather interesting and nice.

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• 2013 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  blackcurrant tending to cassis ,dusty cedar but spice and cream and all quite polished. In the mouth it's juicy and rich with cassis fruit that is strong but hidden beneath plentiful skin and oak tannins. Long as well.

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• 2015 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon The Dark Horse

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  slightly farty black berry over currant fruit with oddly confected notes as well. In the mouth it's juicy and tangy with drying tannins but the fruit is pretty muted and doesn't carry at all. Nah

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• 2005 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Needs air - it's a bit funky and farty on the nose. In the mouth it is hot and oakily spicy; the fruit has faded almost completely and there are massive drying tannins that close everything down Over extraction anyone? Perhaps with a double decant and a bit of time something might happen though I doubt it.

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• 2013 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  ripe black fruit compote and cedar. Quite drying tannins close all down very quickly and leave the mouth weary.

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• 2013 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon Sandstone

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Really very mineral on the nose with touches of crushed oyster shell and rock, funky as well with some red berry fruit. Red berry tending to cherry with talc textured tannins drying this fruit out. Interesting but not very cabernet sauvignon for me.

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• 2013 Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon The Surveyor

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  red berry compote, biscuit, cream cedar…it's a bit sweet red fruit with drying tannins, it's quite jammy in fact and alcoholically warm…Meh

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• 2013 Redman Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Polished by slightly funky blackcurrant tending to cassis with a slight menthol note…more of the same on the palate with chalky but relatively light weight tannins. The menthol is more pronounced here though.

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• 2010 Redman Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Muted red plum and berry, touch of funkiness and polished cedar…bit out of whack on the palate and no very nice…the tannins are floury and drying, the fruit muted, the spice jarring. Nah.

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• 2005 Redman Premium Blend

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Leather, cream blackberry plum and currant, touches of cigar box. On the palate it's leather, spicy fruit present but more diminished. Front of mouth and mid palate fine textured tannins. Okay.

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• 2014 Petaluma Merlot Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  sweet red and black plum, muted cedar and a fair whack of spiciness. It's a little cloying on the palate with a lightweight chalky burr. Simple but young. Hmm.

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• 2012 Petaluma Cabernet Merlot Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  slight rubber, polished fruit and oak, cream and slight vanilla. In the mouth it's rich, juicy and fleshy. Tannins are drying and hefty but the fruit persists long. Good.

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• 1996 Petaluma Cabernet Merlot Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  from Magnum. It's always nice to try something I have in the cellar, albeit from a larger format. This is funky and farty - quite bottle stinky and this doesn't really dissipate with vigorous agitation. It's a bit muted and closed on the palate as well. Hmm. On this basis I can drink up as my bottle must be more than dead but, despite this coming out of the wineries own reserves, one never knows how this has been handled (this is Australia after all) or whether they have already graded their older vintages and this is one of the less than exceptional examples...and, as this is just a 'piss up' tasting for at least 50% of the crowd, who can really blame them?

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• 2013 Raidis Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Billy

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  fleshy red berries, slight funkiness and biscuity notes…in the mouth it's more sweet red berry fruit, chalky/grainy tannins. Bit meh to be honest.

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• 2013 Raidis Estate Merlot

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Plummy black fruit, slightly meaty and funky…bit hot and spicy with black plums and fine tannins…quote long but the whole isn't very harmonious and it's all a little jarring and angular.

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• 2014 Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra Series

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  cream, vanilla, cedar, perfumed over muted red fruit…soft red fruit on the palate and chalky tannins. Hmm.

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• 2014 Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Terra Rossa

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  More cab sav on the nose with blackcurrant, slight herbaceousness and earthy and cedary notes to back this up. In the mouth it's juicy but still very tight with the tannins dominating the fruit. Time required as this is quite long and the fruit carries. good at this QPR

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• 2013 Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Block

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  violets, chocolate, plums over cassis…juicy and fleshy with a similar fruit profile, muted tannins and finished quite short rather surprisingly. Hmm.

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• 2012 Parker Coonawarra Estate First Growth

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  still in that red fruit spectrum, slight earthiness, cedar, slight cigar box…in the mouth it's juicy and fleshy with tangy red over black fruit, drying but fine textured tannins. The fruit carries and some alcohol warmth encroaches on the finish. Hmm. goodish but not for me

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• 2008 Parker Coonawarra Estate First Growth

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  red fruit compote, slight reductive perhaps with agitation more black fruits start coming out. In the palate juicy, fleshy, slight tobacco note to the dark fruit then grippy tannins, spice, fruit carries. Needs a good decant to open but nice.

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• 2013 Patrick Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  red fruit spectrum, cedar and slight sandalwood backed by spice. In the mouth, though, it's slightly sweet and a bit flabby. Not very nice.

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• 2012 Patrick Cabernet Sauvignon Home Block

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  aromas of toast, polished oak, cream, vanilla, cassis…it's quite an old school nose and, with agitation, chocolate and blackcurrant compote. As you'd expect on the palate…quite long but alcoholically warm and, for me, lacks acid. Nice for what it is.

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• 2006 Patrick Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Bit reductive despite being from a decanter. Leather, red berry, tobacco, cream, spice. In the mouth it has flavours of red currant and Ribena, quite 'cordial' despite it's age, fleshy. Long. Nice but not for me.

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• 2014 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Phoenix

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  blackcurrant fruit, slight spice, slight earthinesss….in the mouth it's juicy and fresh with black fruits. Simple but pleasant.

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• 2013 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Steyning

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  aromas of blackcurrant and berry, cedar and spice…blackcurrant, spice, cedar, drying tannins but alcohol heat on the finish kind of ruins an otherwise good nose.

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• 2009 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Concentrated black fruit, almost to the point of that savoury concentrate level. Something confected here as well. And some cedar. On the palate it has sweetish fruit on the palate with chalky tannins…bit belchy as well. Meh

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• 2013 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon The Cigar

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Red over blackcurrant fruit, spice, cigar box, quote polished oak. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, slightly anonymous fruit for me, fine textured tannins. Pleasant enough.

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• 2013 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon The Menzies

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Perfumed red over blackcurrant, cedar, cream, spice…more of the same on the palate with drying tannins, cream, slight cedar, medium plus length. Meh.

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• 2014 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Founder's Block Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Candied red berry fruit, slight reductive, almost yeast extract here. In the mouth red berries then drying tannins close it all down leaving a slightly cloying note. Nah

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• 2013 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  More red fruit compote, slight cedar and spice, slight herbaceous note, spiced red fruit, quite drying tannins, quite long and fruit carries with the tannins. Good if not a little simple.

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• 2006 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Could of done with a decant as it's a bit reductive again but black currant, earth, mud almost and meaty notes. Almost off dry, sweet fruit carries long with fine textured, but drying, tannins. Hmm.

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• 2013 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon The Caledonian

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slight funky, brambly, plum fruit; a little compote, cream sweet spice. Boom. Huge mouth drying tannins over plentiful fruit. Come back in 20 years! Possibly lacks acidity as well. Just a bit too much perhaps.

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• 2012 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Odyssey

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  confected cabernet sauvignon, cedar, earth, slight meatiness…confected and hot red over black berry fruit, drying tannins, bit of a beast. Hmm

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• 2013 Highbank Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Leather, blackcurrant, sweet spice, cedar…crikey! Tastes like Haut Medoc from a reasonably good vintage. Rather nice.

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• 2009 Highbank Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slightly funky, red berry, quite muted….juicy, confected though, controlled tannins, but, alas, there isn't enough here to excited me. Meh

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• 2013 Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  meaty, red berry fruit, slightly barbecue notes, more of the same on the palate. Meh.

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• 2012 Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon Ravenswood

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Meaty, savoury but more black fruit spectrum, cedar. In the mouth it's juicy and fleshy, spicy black fruit and fine textured, but drying, tannins. Pleasant.

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• 2013 S. Kidman Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  red over blackcurrant fruit, slightly funky, spice and muted cedary notes. On the palate it's spicy, very spicy in fact, with off dry fruit then exceedingly drying tannins. Meh for me.

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• 2014 Bundalong Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Muted black fruit, liquorice, slight leather, sweet spice…In the mouth this wine is exceedingly juicy and spicy, font of the mouth tannins and the fruit is quite muted. It's fresh. Interesting. It feels like there has been less wine-making or intervention thrown at this wine compared to everything else I've tried here. It's a bit out of whack but I like it from a stylistic perspective.

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• 2013 Koonara Cabernet Sauvignon Angel's Peak

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Just opened and proved to be reductive and funky. In the mouth it is sweet with muted tannins. Unpleasant.

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• 2014 Koonara Cabernet Sauvignon Ambriel's gift

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Oak with eucalyptus, cream vanilla, cedar, lacks fruit on the nose. In the mouth the fruit proves to be slightly sour fruit, massive drying tannins. Nah.

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• 2013 Brand's Laira Cabernet Sauvignon Blockers

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  black and red currant fruit, slight herbaceous notes, slightly rich. In the mouth it's juicy but concentrated and quite dense - good structure - fruit caries on the medium plus length. Okay.

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• 2013 Brand's Laira Cabernet Sauvignon 1968

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  blackcurrant, herbaceous , cedar and spice. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, with blackcurrant and a little cordial. Hmm

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• 2012 Brand's Laira Cabernet Sauvignon One Seven One

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  herbaceous; eucalyptus and mint, over black fruits. There is an initial fruit note and it's quite juicy but then huge drying tannins. Good enough. Well balanced. Simple needs time for the tannins to integrated.

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• 2014 Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  cedar and mud, eucalyptus, wet blackcurrant leads to an expectation of fleshy juiciness on the palate… having said that it's more spice and cool but drying tannins dominate black fruits. Time? Nose is very pleasant.

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• 2014 Lindeman's Trio Shiraz - Cabernet Limestone Ridge Vineyard

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Funky, black peppery, black fruit, quite pretty…on the palate there are flavours of biscuit, black pepper spice and black fruits, slightly drying tannins but well balanced despite the slight alcohol heat encroaching on the finish. Nice.

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• 2014 Lindeman's Pyrus

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  confected blackcurrant, slight rhubarb as well, rather contradictorily, cedar and spice, cream and vanilla. In the mouth it's juicy, the fruit is more savoury and the tannins dry things out a bit on the finish which, gain, introduces some alcohol heat. Hmm

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• 2014 Lindeman's Cabernet Sauvignon Trio St. George

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  blackcurrant and cream perfumed top notes and some cedar and sweet spice as well…in the mouth the initial flavour is of confected blackcurrant then savoury tannins…it's a bit simple and a bit disappointing. Time may help but Meh from me on this showing.

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• 2012 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  eucalyptus, perfumed almost floral notes, black fruits and spicy oak. On the palate it's juicy with savoury black fruits and plentiful tannins that are fine textured. It's good but needs time.

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• 2008 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Mint eucalyptus, cedary oak, concentrated black fruit, sweet spice, leather and a cool almost sous bois note. On the palate it's ridiculously concentrated , thick, dense with tannins that are chalky but quite lightweight. The fruit is quite savoury and meaty. come back in about 7 years

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• 2010 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Thick, dense, black fruit, earth, eucalyptus, sweet spice. Acid line present but it's massively concentrated; drying tannins close tings down a bit but the fruit carries under this to be joined with vanilla and cream on the long finish. Time!

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• 2013 Banks Thargo Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  biscuit, blackcurrant fruit that tends to overly ripe and touches of pencil shavings…In the mouth it's spicy with tannins that are present but not dominant, fruit is disappointingly absent, slight alcohol warmth joins with more spice on the finish…perhaps lacks a bit of fruit? Hmm

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• 2010 The Blok Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  initial whiffs of green herbaceousness blow off to reveal some confected fruit spice. It's a little green and a little sweet at the same time initially on the palate but begins to resolve at the tail end of the finish and find some harmony. Hmm.

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• 2009 The Blok Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  funky and farty with muted black fruit and bonfire (?), meaty but also some herbaceous notes. In the mouth it's juicy and fleshy with black fruits fine tannins and cream and vanilla coming to the party on the end of the finish. Okay.

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• 2014 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Cream, polished confected blackcurrant fruit and plenty of spice. In the mouth it's spicy; hot in fact, with black fruit and spice, talc textured tannins and more spice. Hmm. Oh, did I mention the spice.

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• 2002 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  cigar box, leather…getting that sourness that makes the fruit move to the red rather than black fruit spectrum…it's a bit meaty as well. In the mouth there is cigar box, tobacco, leather, red rather than black fruit, alcohol heat and slightly drying non-resolved tannins. Hmm.

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• 2013 Jack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Slightly candied and confected black fruit, cedar, cream, vanilla, spice…savoury fruit with drying tannins that are quite chewy and dense, fruit does not really persist. Meh

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• 2012 Jack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Mythology

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  concentrated red over black fruit…more of the same on the palate backed by plentiful oak spice and tannin. It's over extracted and overdone. No finesse. No balance. Just roided red. Nah

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• 2013 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  slightly perfumed blackcurrant and violet, cedar and spice. In the mouth there is black fruit, cream quite dense, plentiful tannic grip. Needs time.

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• 2010 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Private Collection

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  biscuit, red over black currant fruit, cream, slight coconut….in the mouth there are dense thick tannins laying over the creamy black fruit. Quite broad on the palate with spice and alcohol heat on the finish. Hmm

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• 2002 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Dusty, slightly oxidised with red berry fruit, earth, leather, cream. On the palate it's dusty and leathery with red berry fruit, fine textured but still more than present tannins…the fruit persists but….but…hell's teeth, it's all out of whack. No balance. annoyingly jarring and discordant.

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• 2010 Orlando Cabernet Sauvignon Jacaranda Ridge

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  After the 2002 this is a little anonymous…blackcurrant, cedar and spice on the nose and the palate with quite dense talc textured drying tannin joining. Hmm

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• 2010 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Vetus Purum

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  chocolate, sweet spice, muted black fruit. Juicy and fleshy with black fruit, spice and slight drying tannins. Rather nicely balanced and quite enjoyable. Okay

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Phew. Well I think I got through all but one of the Cab Savs on offer. Plenty of water was taken on board to deal with the inevitable palate fatigue resulting from tasting all those tannic beasts.
A few take outs for me. Quite a few of the winemakers are still struggling to get the balance of phenolic ripeness and fruit. Storage for older wines is bad or, alternatively, these producers wines are just not that long-lived (I suspect the former based on experiences from my own cellar). Finally a few producers have shown that there is the capability in Coonawarra to produce wines that meet the exalted reputation that this region has.
WOTN for me was, probably, the John Riddoch but callouts for the Highbank, Bundalong and Balnaves Tally.
Finally, and despite my trepidation, I'd say it was worth struggling with the masses to attend this tasting and I will do the same again next year no doubt.