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The Coal River Valley is protected from humid northerlies and westerlies by Mount Lomond and ranges of hills which slope down into a patch-worked landscape of parched meadows and iridescent green vineyards trellised in many curious ways. Georgian houses set in parklands reminiscent of England are dotted along the road from the old convict and colonial settlement of Richmond to Campagna offering tourists a bed and breakfast.
The moan of cattle, lethargic echoes of crows and the drone of a tractor pulling nets over vines permeate a still, hazy air. Early morning sunrays poke through the metal grey sky creating slivers of bright white light and dappling the shadowed land. Against the backdrop of Richmond Tier lies the small vineyard estate and landmark winery of Domaine A established by Swiss couple and former IBM executive Peter and Ruth Althaus in 1989 after an extensive worldwide search for a suitable site.
The Althaus ambition in Australia (hence the name Domaine A) was to make elegant wines of definition, character and difference. “I felt that everyone was doing the same thing in Europe. I had this idea that the Occident had become over exploited and decadent. The relative isolation, pure environment and climate of the Coal River Valley seemed ideal for us.”
Peter Althaus is not your normal Australian winemaker. With his Swiss accent and correct manner he appears slightly uptight and distant. However those close to him know him to be warm and generous. When he purchased George Park’s Stoney Vineyard in Tasmania in 1988 the local wine industry saw him as a rich interloper ”without a clue of viticulture or winemaking”. In fact Peter had some small-winemaking experience, a practical, curious mind and a phenomenal interest and knowledge of the wines of Bordeaux.
The vineyard is planted on alluvial sandy loams over black cracking clays and hard Jurassic dolorite – ancient protrusions of solidified magma. These cracking clays act as pruning sheers, which regulate the root zone. The vines – all vertically shoot positioned – run in a north east direction and catch the whole sweep of the sun as it arcs across the sky.
The Coal River Valley lies in a rain shadow and is curiously one of Australia’s driest wine regions. “We never get bunch rot here. And that extra three hours a day of sunshine we get makes us far less marginal than you would think. I have never needed to add acid to our wines. We are cradled from the northerly winds which dump their load of moisture over the Tamar River. The fruit ripens very well with balanced natural acidities.” This is a perfect example of Australian terroir – where the wine speaks loudly of place and the idiosyncratic character of its creators. In recent years Domaine A Stoney Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has emerged as Tasmania’s finest Cabernet. The wine is singularly unique and resonates the poetry and mystery of the landscape.
Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon is a convincing perfumed style. Violets, roses and blackcurrants pervade through the wine like an English country garden. The tannins are especially fine grained and there is a freshness and mineral quality on the palate. Matured for between 24 months and 36 months in new oak, the wine picks up some savoury notes, but essentially the wine is compact and elegant.
The 2001 vintage is fresh and perfumed with camomile chocolate vanilla aromas and some herb garden nuances. The palate is elegant and classically Cabernet with pure cassis/ herb garden flavours, fine looseknit grainy tannins, vanilla/mocha notes and long minerally finish. A wine with lovely personality and medium term cellaring potential. (93 points)
The 2000, with its intense blackcurrant pastille, slight herb garden/violet aromas and mocha notes is a beautifully structured wine with fine plentiful slinky tannins and underlying spicy oak. This is a very strong vintage for Domaine A (94). It’s lesser cuvee Stoney Vineyard Cabernet is also an extremely fine wine.
The 1999 is a more complex and flighty wine with aromatic plummy/mocha/chocolate aromas and sage/cedar nuances. The palate is very rich with coffee/plummy/herb flavours and supple tannins which build up firm and tight at the finish. This is the type of wine which changes character with temperature and humidity. It does sit on a knife’s edge but I like this wine because it’s different and interesting (90 points).
Smelling of roses/brambly hedge rows and aniseed notes, the 1998 is a well concentrated wine with underlying sweet fruit power and fine tannins. It kicks up a twist of acidity at the finish (83 points). The 1997 is a rich concentrated wine with spicy chocolate rose garden aromas and some herbal/violet notes. The palate is well balanced and concentrated with fine slinky tannins and excellent flavour length (89 points). The 1996 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon was not made.
I found the 1995 was underpowered and leafy (78 points) but the 1994 is quite evolved with dark chocolate/cassis/mint, some plum/mocha notes and fine grainy tannins on the palate. It finishes firm and chalky (87 points). The elegantly structured 1993 showed pure blackcurrant pastille aromas, slightly leafy minty/eucalypt nuances and gritty tannins (85 points).
This was followed by the aromatic 1992 which showed intense blackcurrant/violet mint aromas, and firm chocolaty tannins (91 points). The 1991 was also quite impressive with spicy cherry/sappy/violet aromas, slinky tannins and underlying savouy oak (90 points). Interestingly the 1990 – first vintage – was made in a garage with the help of a backpacker. It is quite restrained with dark cherry/leafy aromas and some chocolaty/mint/cedar aromas and flavours. This is a muscular but well concentrated wine with prominent firm chalky tannins. With only 300 bottles made presumably most bottles have been consumed already (82 points).
Clearly Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon is a style in evolution. More recent vintages comprise elements of Petit Verdot (around 1%), Cabernet Franc (5-6%) and Merlot (6-7%). These are the type of wines that do not perform well in wine shows. However many top- end wines would be crucified in this forum. Wendouree Shiraz – with its angular tannins is just one example. While at times perilously sailing close to the wind, Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon is ultimately a conversation wine to be enjoyed over dinner rather than tasted on a bench. The most recent vintages show a lovely and distinct perfume and freshness adding further diversity to the Australian Cabernet experience.
Andrew Caillard MW
Langton’s
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