COONAWARRA AND WRATTONBULLY SUMMARY ANGUS HUGHSON REVIEWS ANDREW CAILLARD MW AND ANGUS HUGHSON Despite the accolades and the long history of outstanding wines, Coonawarra and Wrattonbully remain some of the most undervalued regions in Australia – if not the world. The cool climate and terra rossa soils almost magically combine to produce outstanding cabernet sauvignon relatively regularly, with the odd benchmark Shiraz. Whether it is the geographical isolation of the regions, which sit around halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide on a lonely stretch of road, or the rise of Australian big red styles, Coonawarra and Wrattonbully have failed in recent years to get the market cut-through they deserve after for a long time being a classic wine region enjoyed by a broad swathe of consumers. But after tasting the wines for this year’s guide, and also reading the tea leaves of local and international wine tastings, there is plenty of opportunity for Coonawarra to rise up in the consciousness of wine drinkers and collectors around the world. The magic of Coonawarra and Wrattonbully is in the cerebral styling of its finest wines. These are not wines with gobfuls of decadent fruit, plushness and obvious appeal, or which jump out of the glass and say ‘Look at me’. These are intellectual wines that slowly creep up before revealing their considerable charms. In a world of immediate gratification, Coonawarra is not the first pick. But change is in the air, as we are increasingly seeing consumers searching for sophistication in their experiences, including wines that offer fruit vibrancy and moderate alcohol, and this is where the south-east shines. Coonawarra is also a chameleon. Yes, there are wines that can drink well for decades, with significant structure. Yet, many of Coonawarra’s best are also remarkably approachable from a young age, offering an each-way bet of upfront flavour and drinkability coupled with sophistication and structure. While a couple of years to settle in the bottle is often ideal, in many cases, we are splitting hairs. Over 75 wines were tasted, from 17 wineries, with a number of key takeaways. Firstly, it was excellent to see consistency of quality across the board. Winemakers have clearly got a very good handle on how to craft quality wines that show both strong regional and varietal characters. Fruit ripeness and oak were generally well managed, which saw lovely purity and the class of Coonawarra’s terroir shining
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The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
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