2020 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec
Community Tasting Note
Dr S Likes this wine:
Sunday, March 26, 2023 - The 2019 edition was the most impressive new Wendouree Cab Malbec I could recall since the stupendous 1991, the first of the line I tasted. A wine of tempered power (purring like a big cat, as one astute komrade observed).
The 2020 is the most beautiful I've tasted on release. Dark purple and crimson. Tellingly, perhaps not the depth usually seen, presaging a more medium bodied rendition.
The nose blooms with blue, black and red fruits. Hints of leaf, black tea, perhaps oak seasoning too. Fragrantly varietal. I didn't detect the usual coal dust or iron, but that esteemed Komrade spied them, no doubt figuring in the dialectical interplay.
The palate is a sheer delight. All the characters from the nose reappear, dancing fluently and gliding to the long, long finish. Powdery tannin, medium bodied. Not the usual mid palate grunt, but the intensity and length tell you this is a long distance runner.
This vintage has the cream of both varieties, in a 50:50 blend. Same as 2019, the small harvest saw no pure Cabernet released. Thanks to an even tinier crop, there was no pure Malbec in 2020. Both components went into the blend. Win-win.
For all that, in a blind tasting I would have picked this as a pure Cabernet varietal, not a blend. Both components appear fused, equal partners. Masterful blending of beautiful fruit. Eminently drinkable now, undoubtedly age worthy too. Destined for higher points down the track. Boom-boom.
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