04/03/2022
Today we continue the build up towards on 08/03/22 by celebrating two classy wines & two women rightfully considered pioneers & leading lights.
The 2018 Johnson’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Wynns’ Senior Winemaker Sue Hodder’s project wines. A Single Vineyard wine from the oldest surviving (1954) Cabernet block in Coonawarra, it speaks to her background as a viticulturist as much as her commitment as a winemaker to producing balanced, elegant wines.
Closed at first, time in the decanter reveals delicate floral whiffs, rose petals & violets, along with crushed black & red berries, cinnamon, cedar, tarragon & to***co pouch. That’s a nose worth waiting for.
In the mouth it’s medium bodied but silky smooth, as blackcurrant depth battles it out with redcurrant tension for ascendancy. Let’s call it a draw. Fine cedary tannins provide the structure, while dark chocolate, cinnamon, tarragon & nutmeg add the nuance.
Elegant now, 5 years in the bottle will produce a masterpiece.
New world Merlot, very hard to think of a time when it’s been cool. Everyone loves Pomerol, drools over Pétrus, but that’s not reality, is it?
Enter Colleen Miller from , a passionate advocate for Merlot in Australia, leading the way with the use of new clones, honing their viticultural practices to suit. Colleen is involved in every aspect of the business. Inroads are being made into making Merlot cool again. 💥
The 2018 Q Merlot uses the Q45 clone to produce a clean, classy wine with a fine future.
Black plums, mulberries, dark chocolate, violets & mineral whiffs are encouraging.
On the palate it’s unctuous plums & blackcurrants, Dutch licorice acid lines, black olives, to***co & fine tannins well on their way to a seamless integration. Like Sue Hodder’s wine, Colleen’s baby is delicious now but it’s best is yet to come. Decant.
We work on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people & acknowledge them as traditional owners. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present & emerging.