'Black Label' Cabernet Sauvignon, which was first vintaged in 1954, has evolved markedly over the decades. It is arguably Australia's most recognised Cabernet Sauvignon and has more than any other, helped define Coonawarra. The wine is matured in new and seasoned French oak for 12 to 18 months.
A classic Coonawarra Cabernet with pristine dark berry/ cassis aromas, fine-grained tannins and underlying savoury nuances, it develops into a rich, chocolaty wine with age. In a super vintage, this wine can look astonishingly like a 2nd or 3rd growth Bordeaux with its pure cassis aromas and cedary complexity.
Wynns say it's Australia's most important Cabernet based on volume and value of each vintage. It's a model for the flavour and structure of cool-grown Cabernet with the ace in the hole cards of blackcurrant fruit, firm tannins and balanced oak. Wine Companion.
Wynns say it's Australia's most important cabernet based on volume and value of each vintage. It's a model for the flavour and structure of cool grown Cabernet with the ace in the hole cards of blackcurrant fruit, firm tannins and balanced oak. Wine Companion.
100% Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. 14 months in French oak, 18% new. About as effortless as Cabernet can be. It flows, it establishes its credentials, it does just enough and then it sets about creating all the right conditions for it to cellar well. There are briary, bitter herb notes but they work with the fleshy, boysenberried cassis characters. Oak is almost nowhere to be seen. The flavours feel seamless. The longer you sit with this wine the more impressive the tannin structure seems; it unfurls. The impression of the wine’s overall quality rises as a result. winefront.com.au
Coonawarra
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra by John Riddoch in 1890, however it was not until the renewed interest in table wine production in the 1950's that Coonawarra was brought into the limelight. Located almost 380 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is today one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia. Its weathered limestone terra rossa soils, avaibility of water and relatively cool maritime climate make it a unique viticultural region. Extremely flat and unprotected, Coonawarra is exposed both to the swinging influences of the cool Great Southern Ocean and hot, dry northerly winds. Spring frosts also pose a major threat with the potential to wipe out entire crops. Mechanical harvesting is widely employed in the region although smaller producers prefer to tend their vines by hand. Coonawarra is best known for classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon, although in good years, Shiraz from the region is also very compelling.
