A thought-provoking tasting: The Wine Society’s Australian “keeping stock”

This time last week I was en route to The Wine Society in Stevenage for a thought-provoking peek at a selection of their Australian “keeping stock,” which means wines they intentionally cellar for future sale.

In recent years, says buyer Pierre Mansour, the society has purposefully extended its keeping range from non-classic areas, such as Australia.

I’ve listed the selection below, highlighting in bold those wines – classics if you like – which particularly impressed with their character, balance, fluidity and structure. My (thrilling) picks of the bunch are also underlined.

Reflections

But first, having described it as a thought-provoking tasting, here are my reflections:

• In even five, certainly 10 to fifteen years time, a line up of Australian “keeping stock” will look very different – Australia has come so far in a short space of time, especially with Chardonnays and cool climate Shiraz, either unrepresented or barely represented here, but surely future classics.
• In future there will also be more wines which possess the balance, fluidity and structure to age gracefully because of less winemaker intervention (fewer acid and tannin additions) and because more and more great sites are being identified/bottled separately/hitting their straps in terms of vine age.
• As Vanya Cullen (also present) put it, going forward “there’ll be a much better conversation under screwcap, especially for whites.”
• Given the heady price rises of top Bordeaux, now inaffordable for many former aficionados, there’s ample compensation to be had in those Cabernets/Cabernet blends which impressed everyone with their balance, fluidity and structure all three, incidentally, from Wilyabrup, Margaret River (Moss Wood, Cullen).
• Regionality was pronounced with the exception of one wine, SC Pannell Shiraz Grenache – a great example of a modern McLaren Vale red, more perfumed/elegant, less savoury/grunty than classic styles.
• Such modern styles of Shiraz/Shiraz blends and especially cooler climate Victorian/Canberra District Shiraz regions will join the pantheon of classics, broadening out perceptions of Australian Shiraz (and individual Australian regions).
• Archetypal South Australian Shiraz/Shiraz blends stand in a league of the own.

The wines

Tahbilk Marsanne 2007 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria)

Tahbilk Marsanne 2006 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria)

Tahbilk Marsanne 2002 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria)

Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling 2005 (Eden Valley)

Tyrrells Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2004 (Hunter Valley)

Plantagenet Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Great Southern)

Suckfizzle Margaret River Cabernet 2007 (Margaret River)

Sandalford Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Margaret River)

Moss Wood Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (Margaret River)

Moss Wood Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (Margaret River)

Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2004 (Margaret River)

Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Coonawarra)

Bleasdale Frank Potts 2006 (Langhorne Creek)

D’Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (McLaren Vale)

D’Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (McLaren Vale)

D’Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet 2004 (McLaren Vale)

Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer 2005 (McLaren Vale)

Yalumba The Menzies 2004 (Coonawarra)

Yarra Yering Dry Red No1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 (Yarra Valley)

Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarra Valley) – corked

Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria)

D’Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings 2007 (McLaren Vale)

S C Pannell Shiraz Grenache 2006 (McLaren Vale)

Plantagenet Shiraz 2005 (Great Southern)

Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 2005 (Barossa)

Yalumba Octavius 2004 (Barossa)

Plantagenet Shiraz 2004 (Great Southern)

Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2004 (Barossa)

Yalumba Octavius 2000 (Barossa)

The Society’s Exhibition Shiraz 1997 – corked

Ch Tahbilk Shiraz 1991 (Nagambie Lakes) – dried out

Penfolds Grange 2001 (South Australia)

Penfolds Grange 2000 (South Australia) – looking significantly more developed than the 2001; query closure?