2002 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec

Community Tasting Notes (14) Avg Score: 92.3 points

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  7/5/2022 - Dr S Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Last tasted in 2014 (when I cursed my indecent haste), the needle has barely moved.
  
  Dark purple/black, only the slightest fade to crimson. A fanfare of blackberry and black currant on the nose. Mushroom, leather and tobacco, a begrudging concession to 20 years of age. Then trademark coal dust, bay leaf too. Regal and austere. The Cardinal may look magnificent in his richly embroidered robes but he exudes authority.
  
  Medium to full bodied. The still vibrant palate flows long and sure. Plentiful tannins are finer now, but the vice grips just enough to remind you this is Wendouree here. Love it you should, but if tannins aren’t your thing, then mix a little fear in too. Machiavelli would approve.
  
  Based on the still brilliant colour, potent fruit and tannin backbone, another 30 years lie ahead. At least (perfidious cork permitting).
  
  Tasted alongside the magisterial 2013.

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  12/13/2020 - salua wrote: 94 Points

  Line up of 02 Shiraz, Shiraz Mataro and Cab Malbec along with 2001 Shiraz Malbec...All great wines and surprisingly young. This line up was not fair to the Cab based wine, but it held its own. Lovely, balanced fruit that flows into a long lovely finish. Its a puppy. Lots of years ahead

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  11/28/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points

  Turkey day (Chicago, IL): This just kept changing (and getting better) as the night went on. At first, it was pretty clear this had a ton of pyrazines as well as some lovely black fruits. Then this starts to pick up some smokiness, as well as just more complexity, with the fruit showing more prominently. The green fades in and out, but it's always a presence. By the end, this had acquired some leathery notes that were pretty compelling too. It's so sad how the WA100 oozemonsters ruined Australian wine importing -- it's a whole damn continent and there's so much good wine if you put in just a slight bit of effort (granted Wendouree needs more than a slight bit of effort to acquire here in North America).

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  8/2/2019 - michael_cooke Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Auction purchase - perfect cork
  Decanted for around 1-2 hours prior
  Heavy sediment.
  Wow what a nose! Camphor, menthol, eucalpyt, tobacco, leather, burnt toffee, black licorice forever.
  Tannins are still present but are beautifully integrated - structured & supple.
  A big wine!
  In the zone but potential for further development.

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  5/7/2019 - robferguson1 wrote: 92 Points

  Good as usual , lively gutsy, acquired taste .

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