50 year Wynn’s Black Label celebrating my friend Lucille’s 50th birthday. Cork was in good shape and the wine was too. Very brown but still showing some purple tinge. Fruit all but gone but wonderful tertiary characters of leather, spice and earthiness. Drank beautifully over hours and did not fade. — 8 months ago
The final wine at the Downs Club Filipino Dinner on Wednesday night - the mystery wine. This was a rich full bodied red from Coonawarra ( atypical for most Shiraz from this region) and I incorrectly picked McLaren Vale. This had a closed latent brooding nose and should have had a longer decant I feel. Ripe black fruits with some liquorice and plenty of tannin. This has a long way to go to achieve some nuance and detail. A whopper for a Coonawarra Shiraz. — 3 years ago
Pedro Ximenez - a great name for a Mexican tennis player. These vines were planted at Wynns in the early 1900’s and were used to make Brandy when that was more popular than table wine. Caramel and floral notes with hints of rancio and raisin. 17% ABV. An excellent after dinner sipper. — a month ago
One of Australia’s best Cabernets. Sue Hodder who is Wynns’ chief winemaker told me that only the best 2% of their wide resources of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes goes into John Riddoch. I guess it explains the continuing high quality of Black Label (the next Cabernet down in the Wynns range and an unbelievable bargain). Sue was the chief winemaker in 2008 when she made this wine and remains the chief winemaker at Wynns. See previous Delectable note as things haven’t changed much. Coonawarra Mint, cassis and blackcurrant. A full bodied palate with fine persistent tannins. — 4 months ago
A Collection of great Australian Reds - Christmas break up of the Tennis Group. This or the Wynns Centenary would have been the WOTN. A Delicious balanced mature claret showing leather spice with noticeable mocha , like coffee grounds. Cruising at 32 years and will sit on the plateau for a while yet. The Reserve was the forerunner to what Yalumba now call The Caley which is now their flagship. A top shelf Cabernet Shiraz from a great vintage utilising Yalumba’s extensive vineyard resources. — 2 years ago
Mid Ruby. Notes of mulberry, lavender, cherry and a little pepper. Medium bodied spicy palate showing cool climate characters. Drinking well at 8 years with a long future. The last one I had was in 2018. This is more the midweek quaffer Wynns Shiraz, not like their premium Shiraz, “The Michael “. Interestingly Shiraz was initially the predominant red varietal in Coonawarra before Cabernet Sauvignon took that mantle. — 2 months ago
Great wine. Very territorially Coonawara style. Crispy green tone in its youth, it’ll become really special in the decades to come. Super wine. — 3 months ago
A new cuvée for the large Wynns organisation. A tribute to the Italian White varietals of Fiano, Arneis and Pinot Grigio. Grown on the Limestone Coast in South Australia. I always find Fiano appley in its native Campania but this was more citrusy with pear notes. This wine will sell well as a bistro style in the upcoming Australian summer. Very attractive packaging. Ladies who lunch will devour this. Hot off the press. Amazing value at only $16 AUD. — a year ago
Straight without decant. Nose has a vegetal and herbs component which i like. Rhubart, sage and spice and red fruits. Palate is quite light and smooth with mineral but still got enough tannin for storage for another 10 yrs. There is chocolate, nutmeg, red pepper, — 4 years ago
Bob McDonald
The Wynns Black Label Cabernet is one of the stalwarts of the Australian wine scene - reliable and great value year in, year out. The currently available 2022 is the 67th consecutive vintage. This wine is my last 2008 - a classic Coonawarra Cabernet from a good vintage - with a long life into the late 2030s still in front of it. Red and black berries with mint. Full bodied with Medium plus length. Ridiculous value at $35. I’m hardly buying anything these days but this has been a regular purchase for me over the years. — 3 days ago