The aura of sacredness and rarity surrounding Wendouree’s wines is something that very few wineries, anywhere, can lay claim to. The ancient plantings, the discreet location tucked in an oasis-like location in South Australia’s Clare Valley, the bold traditional typeface of the labels – many things combine to make the legend what it is.
But the character of the wines is what really makes this small estate one of the greatest, most elusive and highly collectible producers of full-bodied red wine. And, for many, this is where the challenge comes because these are wines unlike any others. They have carved out their own genre, they are self-defining and stylistic comparisons are always difficult, often pointless.
They are also some of the most cryptic wines I have ever tasted. Having followed them over the last two decades, these are the vinous equivalent of the long-term relationship. A one-night stand is a folly – these are soul mates and demand commitment and time.
Their graceful ageing is something that winemakers respect and envy; their ability to bury complexity deep, to sustain over time and to deliver structure with 4-wheel-drive tannins that drive slow, steady and deliberate across the palate. The haunting depth of old vines and the distinct, eucalypt-tinged aromas are striking. The unfettered, unadorned and raw honesty of their style is something that few vignerons can execute, let alone summon the courage to try.
The purity seen in the 2012 vintage is also rare in the scheme of things, as is evidenced across the five wines I recently tasted. It is also rare that these wines should seem so candid at such a young age, still reserved, but very clear in terms of precision, structure, balance and brightness. Sure, the 2012 vintage is a great one (and I suspect far greater than many are yet aware of), but this merely underwrites the profound quality of these wines, their elite provenance and the strength of their character.
These are, without a shadow of a doubt, Australia’s greatest “terroir” wines.
Click for notes and scores.
2012 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon
2012 Wendouree Cabernet Malbec
Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.
It bewilders me that these wines have achieved "cult" status over the past 15 years, Australian wine forum discussions are littered with disappointing tasting notes with the omnipresent "too young, needs 10 years" descriptor.
I will quickly point out that the wine-maker is a tremendous fellow, and that he certainly has not been caught up in the hype, indeed, prices remain incredibly cheap given the number of collectors out there willing to purchase the stuff.
Vinous equivalent of a long-term relationship? Luckily, in real life we have invented the convenience called "divorce"
Wendouree is far more the vinous equivalent of " the emperor with no clothes"
Australia's best terroir? wow, guess that will be the last blog I will bother reading from this scribe.
then we have ridiculous reports from other writers, some of whom do not disclaim their employees, giving wines the holy grail of 100 points. The recent release of Penfolds St Henri is a classic example, people over here became rabid in their search for this apparent masterpiece, the wine "selling out" in a matter of minutes. The author, it is claimed by some, may actually be indirectly employed by Penfold's. If that is the case, well, I need not explain the rest. In any case, our wine group had a horizontal of several 2010 Penfold's wines, and all ten experienced wine tasters agreed that it was another wine, the Penfold's Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz, that was the star of the show. The St Henri was a smart wine, but only those in heaven would understand how that particular wine writer came to bestow it with 100 points.
Do I love fruit-forward wines? Well, I am not sure myself, but I checked my cellar inventory, and the producers that i have the most wine of are the following….
Conseillante
Le Gay
Rousseau
Bosquet de Papes
Canon
so, I do not know, maybe you can tell me if i like fruit forward wines(and this is not a rhetorical question)
actually, I found i still have over 30 bottles of Wendouree left, which surprises me!! But, if I am going to drink SA shiraz, give me Noon's Rockford and Head any day!!!
thanks for the "Head's" up!! Nice little discussion, although I am disappointed he did not show you the ancient vines Grenache, a stunning wine and a very different Australian expression of the grape.
Liked your comment on "monolithic" Barossa shiraz, I used to have a sea of the stuff sitting in my cellar, but committed most to auction a decade ago. The great news is, IMO, the Barossa is making as much progress as the WA chards are, and there are a number of superb new wines coming out of there over the past 4-5 years. Head is a prime example.
I think the problem with shiraz is that, on its own, it can simply be too one-dimensional (as per the whole reason I replied to this bog in the first place.)
IMO, shiraz needs one of two things to happen to make it great…firstly, you can blend it regionally or with other varieties (such as Cab in Australia's case, or with multiple varieties such as in CNDP) and the resulting balanced wine can become a complex, long-lived masterpiece (see 1994 Jack Mann, Grange 1955, or a myriad of CNDP's), or, secondly, you need to grow it in superb terroir, and allow that wine to express the terroir God gave it (see Hill of Grace 1986). All too often great terroir is negated by ordinary wine-making in Australia, chasing the elusive "fruit bomb" that all bar a few have tired of.
But if you are going to produce a shiraz from a single site, then you do indeed need bloody good terroir to make it both complex and long-lived. I am not sure that the Clare valley has any such terroir, just as i am not sure the earth of Lalande-de-Pomerol can compare to that little plot of vines where Le Pin is born each year (well, almost each year!)
Still, each to his or her own, as they say. The wonders of the internet has given the opportunity to a million half-cocked wine writers to have their say, and equally a million half-cocked wine lovers like me to refute their nonsense. hehehe
I hope to one day taste the 2012s in their glory; screwcap closures make that journey a little longer these days, but thankfully I am grateful for those who possess older vintages and operational wine keys.