Defining Great Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting

On Saturday August 30 I will be hosting with winemaker Greg Clayfield the second in this series of tasting events at the Zema Estate winery.

The pilot tasting last year was a pleasing success, in that it produced some intriguing discussion about cabernet sauvignon and its blends, and where these wines might head in an Australian context.

There are still a few places left at this year’s tasting, which features 20 international cabernets from the 2005 vintage, regarded as one of the finest of all time, especially in a Bordeaux and American context.

The wines selected for this year’s event include:

Cullen Diana Madeline Margaret River
Woodlands Reserve Margaret River
Wantirna Estate Hannah Yarra Valley
Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1 Yarra Valley
Yeringberg Yarra Valley
Henschke Cyril Henschke Eden Valley
Penfolds Bin 707 Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway
Yalumba Menzies Coonawarra
Zema Estate Family Selection Coonawarra
Te Mata Estate Awatea Hawkes Bay
Stonyridge Larose Waiheke Island
Sassicaia Bolgheri
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri
Chateau Lascombes Margaux
Chateau Pichon-Lalande Pauillac
Chateau Leoville-Barton St-Julien
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac
Spotswoode Napa Valley
Leo Joseph Napa Valley

If anything, the message from last year’s Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon tasting was that the influences that affect the expression of cabernet in the bottle are as diverse as they are profound. Cool regions and seasons inevitably present those cooler, leafier and minty aspects. Hot seasons with rapid ripening of fruit split the flavour profile between the under and the over-ripe. Extended hang time robs fruit of freshness and sweetness, shortens the palate and reduces longevity.

Brettanomyces can inflict a range of results, the impact of which depends much on the strength and depth of the wine itself, and perhaps the amount of time that the winemakers have enabled brett to be party to their winemaking philosophy.

The expression of site is naturally high on the list of influences that shape cabernet, which is perhaps why in a country like Australia, only three of its dozens of established wine regions have a genuine reputation for cabernet of the highest order.

As New World winemakers begin to sound more like their counterparts in the Old World, and vice-versa, it’s becoming quite clear that the common ground that growers and makers of note are working to emphasise is indeed the site. To make great wine, a great site is required; simple as that. It’s then up to the growers and the makers to select, over a period of time, the varieties best able to communicate the site’s virtues. Modern experience shows that while cabernet grows well, making perfectly enjoyable wines across the length and breadth of this country, it is only from regions like Coonawarra, Margaret River and the Yarra Valley where we see a consistent replication of distinctive, identifiable cabernet character in any scale. Within these regions we also experience the anticipated variation borne of diversity of site, and of winemaking and viticultural approach, but we also observe a true and repeatable regional presence.

Tastings of this nature help refine our ideas of what it might be that our growers and makers should be aiming at with cabernet sauvignon. Are the established benchmarks still the best and most pertinent points of reference? Or have other countries, perhaps the US or Italy developed a strong enough case for us to reconsider our settings? Are our established regions and makers resting on their laurels? Are there other Australian regions accumulating enough critical mass with cabernet to be taken more seriously? Are we in danger of letting something of great value slip un-noticed through our net?

These are the sort of issues that are best raised around a tasting of great cabernet sauvignons sourced from around the world. Let’s put the benchmarks, the locals, the high-flyers and the ‘would-be’s in the same group and see how they show and what they can tell us. And since we’re doing all that, let’s also rejoice in the fact that this year we’re looking at a collection from 2005!

This event is open for wine enthusiasts, grape growers, winemakers and commentators. The admission fee of $250 per head, which barely covers the wine costs, includes a traditional Italian luncheon in the winery prepared by Francesca and Teresa Zema.

If you’re interested in one of the few remaining seats, please call Zema Estate on 08 8736 3219. See you there! Please login to post comment