Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Bordeaux Blends, Australia
2017 Gold: 3 Silver: 6 Bronze: 3 Commended: 5
2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 13 Bronze: 2 Commended: 7
Not a huge number of Merlots here – and not a great deal of blending, either. This was almost all single-varietal Cabernet, but none the worse for that. We might have expected a stronger showing from Margaret River, but otherwise this was a decent performance from Oz, with three Golds pretty much par for the course in the Sommelier Wine Awards.
There seems to be a slight shift towards a more restrained style with Cab, just like there has been with Chardonnay – but it’s necessarily less radical. Nobody’s looking for stalkiness in an Aussie red. And the signs so far are that the winemakers are doing a good job of adding a little lift while retaining ripeness and Australian fruit character.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The Coonawarra wines were very distinctive – a deep colour, with red cherry, eucalyptus and big tannins. There was a definite typicity to them.’ Sam Caporn MW, team leader
‘Pushing New World varietal wines as an alternative to European styles doesn’t always work with premium areas like Margaret River or Coonawarra. These premium regions are the same price as Bordeaux. You need a consumer with an open mind, who would usually buy Bordeaux but is happy to try something different.’ Hamish Anderson, Tate Catering
‘Under £10 was probably the best for the money outside Margaret River and Coonawarra – they were concentrated and well balanced – and would work well with wagyu.’ Masahito Suzuki, Sosharu
‘These were real food wines. And they were definitely lighter than they would have been five years ago.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn
‘There was a lot of balance in them. We had no complaints about oak or alcohol. Even the pricing was pretty good.’ Laura Rhys MS, team leader