Landmark Tutorial, Seminar 7: ‘An Historic Perspective’ presented by Andrew Caillard MW and James Halliday

The ‘Historic Perspective’ tasting is the centrepiece of the Landmark Tutorial, the most anticipated session given the outstanding quality and often rarity of the wines on show.

However, it is worth noting that this seminar was deliberately entitled ‘An Historic Perspective’, which implies that a number of others paths could have been trod in showing the development of Australian fine wine since the Second World War, a point to which specialist auctioneer Andrew Caillard MW, who oversees the influential Langton’s Classification, alluded in his presentation; flanked, for this session, by the experienced palates of James Halliday and Dr Tony Jordan.

Undeniably a stunning tasting by any standards, it should also be said, bearing in mind the 185 Australian fine wines sampled throughout the Tutorial proper (excluding dinners!), that the significance of this survey fed into a number of the other sessions.

For example, the spirit of this historical overview implicitly drew on the array of vintages selected by Charles Melton earlier in the week in ‘The Great Australian Blend’ seminar – where 1976 Yalumba Signature Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 1986 Riddoch Cabernet/Shiraz, Coonawarra, 1966 Saltram Bin 42 Shiraz/Muscadelle, South Australia, 1975 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, South Australia, and 1998 Wendouree Shiraz/Mataro, Clare Valley were all impressive, sometimes phenomenal, examples of mature or maturing blends.

‘An Historic Perspective’ also, ultimately, anticipated Brian Walsh’s ‘Single Vineyards and Sacred Sites versus Blending’ session later in the week at which 1991 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley, 1955 Hardy Wine Co. St Thomas ‘Burgundy’ Shiraz, South Australia/Victoria and the breathtaking 1942 Mount Pleasant TY Light Dry Red Shiraz, Hunter Valley, made by none other than Maurice O’Shea himself, were obvious highlights. But this latter session will form the subject of another post.

Caillard gave a comprehensive introduction to each wine, illustrating its role, not least in setting the standard for one or sometimes more styles of fine wine. The evolution of Penfolds Grange was discussed with reference to the 1955 and 1971 vintages; 1971 being seen as the greater achievement in terms of defining Max Schubert’s vision for this wine (Penfolds fans would do well to pick up The Rewards of Patience in which Caillard lovingly details the development of the entire Penfolds range with accompanying tasting notes from an international panel).

Hill of Grace (here the 1986) is philosophically a different kind of project from Grange, the former being the expression of a single vineyard in the Eden Valley, the latter, being the epitome of a premium blend from different South Australian sites and sometimes with some Cabernet Sauvignon thrown into the otherwise Shiraz-dominant mix. French oak on Hill of Grace v. American oak on Grange marks another stylistic difference. Caillard discussed how Cyril Henschke had lent a keen ear to Max Schubert’s account of how he came to produce Grange, no doubt catalyzing in the Henschke mind various ideas for a new expression of premium Shiraz.

Perhaps most fascinating, however, in considering the Penfolds stable, was the opportunity to taste the 1996 Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley; as the Kalimna Block 42 has, historically speaking, been the source of Cabernet Sauvignon for Grange, as in the 1953, 1954 and above 1955 vintages. With the 1996 it had made a stunning wine, Barossa Valley being somewhat neglected in wine lovers’ minds as a source of exciting Cabernet Sauvignon.

There was some debate about the pair of the 1996 Clarendon Hills Astralis Vineyard Syrah, McLaren Vale and 1996 Three Rivers Shiraz, Barossa Valley, plush modern wines (for the time), arguably designed to appeal to American palates and, specifically, the palate of Robert Parker Jr. These were very high scoring wines on release and perhaps some critics wondered in the late 1990s if they would stay the course. Some scholars at the Tutorial found these wines to be out of balance in terms of alcohol and the degree of acidification required to cope with the masses of fruit in the glass. I thought both were of exceptional quality, not necessarily imbalanced as such, but still somewhat burly, suggesting further development in bottle would be a good idea (click on wines for full tasting notes).

Whilst Shiraz was very much the focus of attention here (quite rightly given the evolution of styles of this variety from various Australian regions over the last half century), lovers of Cabernet Sauvignon were not to be disappointed, either by the aforementioned 1996 Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley or the 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Coonawarra & Kalimna or by the brilliant duo of the 1995 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River and the 1995 Cullen Wines Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Margaret River.

Add to this such notable wines as the 1998 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, 2004 Balnaves of Coonawarra The Tally Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra (both still on the young side), the more herbaceous, slightly more delicate 1990 Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Cabernets, Yarra Valley and the lovely, mature 1982 Wynns John Riddoch Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and it was abundantly clear just how much Cabernet Sauvignon has played a role in the development of Australia’s fine wine heritage.

But most revealing from a personal point of view was how close in quality some of the ‘cheaper’ Australian fine wines in this tasting were, relative to likes of Grange, Hill of Grace and Wendouree. The 1986 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, a wine which, in the 2007 vintage, from the Brokenwood cellar door notches up at $140 was as equally fine as the 1976 Wendouree Shiraz, Clare Valley or 1986 Henschke Hill of Grace Museum Release Shiraz, Eden Valley. Of real value, in a similar vein, is the 2006 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz, Hunter Valley (the current vintage, the 2007, at the Mount Pleasant cellar door, is $65). Even a comparison of retail price ranges for these wines will show they are consistently more affordable, but equally collected, as the trio of Grange, Hill of Grace and Wendouree, great those these latter wines and producers are.

It seems almost perverse to nominate the ‘stand-out’ wines from such a sensational tasting. Nevertheless, the wines of truly exceptional quality, including one of those more ‘affordable’ examples, were: 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Coonawarra & Kalimna, 1971 Penfolds Grange Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia, 1976 Wendouree Shiraz, Clare Valley, 1986 Henschke Hill of Grace Museum Release Shiraz, Eden Valley, 1986 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley.

Editor’s note: This is an ongoing 13-part series of Edward Ragg’s account of Australia’s 2010 Landmark Tutorial. Each week, Edward will give us an insider’s view of the program.

Photo Credit: Landmark Australia