Top 1998 Aussies and Others

Alex and I have been wanting to put this together for some time. It finally worked out in a pleasant evening in Lucas. We were joined by some of the usual suspects, including Lionel and Rachel and Ray on my side. After a series of excellent Bordeaux wines this week, this dinner was a marked demonstration of how good Cabernet can be in Australia. Different for sure, but some of the wines were just first class. The supporting cast (a Champagne, a young Cab-Merlot and an SA wine) were no slouches either.

• NV Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Cuvée No. 728 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This had been opened for an hour by the time we got to it, and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Pinot Meunier played a big part here - which sort of explain its unusual character. I thought it was really nice though, with some nice slightly aged Champagne nuances. Lovely nose - dough, dried fogs, some apricots, kumquats and umami. Palate was rather dry, with preserved limes and mineral notes linger with nice ripe white fruit, all laced with a fine bead. Finish was round and open with hints of dried herb and a dry backbone. Very nice as an aperitif with great succulent balance and plenty of character. Jacquesson NVs strike me as needing a bit of time in the bottle - this wine certainly confirmed that, the age has done the bottle tons of good I think.

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• 2005 Woodlands Wilyabrup Valley Cabernet Merlot 90 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Well-made and extremely decent. Unfortunately, rather a far cry from the excellent Cab Sauv reserve and clearly a notch down from the 1998s on the night. Nose was quite modern, with toasty, woody, preserved winter-melon tinged oak notes, ripe plums and cassis, some earth, a touch of bramble. The oak became more pronounced with time in the glass. Palate was very pleasant. Great freshness, decent balance, with bright cassis flavours seasoned with a green hint of mint and flecks of spice. Finish was pretty good as well, with more dark fruit and a shade of prunes. Nice, but nothing outstanding.

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• 1998 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 91 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Very good, but nowhere near the showing it had the last time. Nose was rather less Bordelais this time, with modern notes of toasty oak at the fore, along with cedar, lovely ripe cassis, very Margaret River blueberries, some earth and a little eucalyptus-touched bramble notes. The palate played a variation on the theme, with eucalyptus and menthol at the fore, along with berries and cassis almost bursting out at the attack and some tobacco leaf following at the rear. Clearly well-made, this had a nice balance holding up all that fruit. Finish was nice and juicy, with a sappiness to its fruit and lingers of smoke and cigar as it wound into a medium-lengthed tail. A nice wine that could do with a good 2-3 years more in the bottle. This was certainly not as advanced as the last bottle I had.

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• 1998 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  An outstanding Aussie Cab. Not quite as open and voluptuous as the Parker Terra Rossa, but more buried complex and subtlety I thought. Beautiful nose, the most Bordeaux like of the four Aussie wines. Tons of cigar and tobacco leaf notes on the nose, followed by deep plum notes, lovely dark cassis, a little hint of vanilla, some bramble, all wrapped up in a dusty, earthy package with lots of savoury, tatami-like undertones and bits of wood spice. Palate stilled showed some youth. The fresh, juicy acidity had integrated very nicely into the body of the wines, as had the firm but very fine tannins, but there was still a grippiness to it that suggests that it has many years of development ahead. Flavours were just about putting on secondary notes as well - lovely, warm cassis notes were laced with some bramble, some cigar, some cedar, some tea, all in a superbly balanced whole. Nice long finish showed plenty of persistence, with more juicy acidity holding up some great fruit notes, more tea and just that touch of menthol or eucalyptus. Excellent.

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• 1998 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Wow - this was ridiculously delicious, and no lack of quality or complexity either. Beautifully integrated and drinking at its peak, the wine had a lovely nose of savoury, aged-beef-like meatiness, bright rich cassis tones, earth, subtle chocolate notes and a touch of flowers. Lots of attractive depth. Really yummy on the palate too. Gorgeous balance from the attack on, it had a nice, attractive warmth and great elegance, filling the mouth with lovely flavours of berries and cassis, some stewed capsicums and a little bramble all mixed up in a complex concoction that slid down the mouth in a smooth, velvety and deliciously integrated feel. Nice long finish too, with long pulls of smoke, plums, prunes and capsicums giving the sense of this being a very complete wine. Not quite as noble and serious as the Wynns John Riddoch, but this was just oozing with seductive charm. Also, unlike the other wine, this was drinking at its absolute peak. Yum.

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• 2002 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 92 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  Even better than the last time I tried it. Nice amber colour. Gorgeous nose - deep and complex, with some toast, nectar, apricots, nectarines, candied orange, mushroom, dried flowers and even a hint of mineral - all wafting out of the glass beautifully. The rich, creamy palate was lovely as well. Very-well balanced, nice flavours too - a touch of SA rubber, but tons more interesting flavours of neactar, honey, honeysuckle and brown sugar. Some freshness came up in the medium lengthed finish which chosed candied lemons and dashes of spice. Very nice but very young. This is one of those wines that will last for about forever. I think a good 5-6 years in bottle will do it a world of good.

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