Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Wynns Coonawarra Estate is a Mattinson 10-Star Winery — Campbell Mattinson's highest honour.
Since 1998, head winemaker Sue Hodder has kept this historic Coonawarra estate at the very top of Australian wine, without ever wavering.
The day Sue Hodder was appointed as a winemaker at Wynns Coonawarra Estate was a great day for Australian wine. Hodder has been a gift – arguably the single greatest gift – to Australian wine lovers ever since. She’s made wine at this historic Coonawarra winery since 1992, and as head winemaker since 1998. She inherited a winery of renown, no doubt, but she also inherited a winery that wasn’t the biggest fish in its own company pond. Somehow, whether against the odds or not, she has made sure that the wines produced from this winery have remained at the top of the Australian quality tree. The wines she oversees have evolved but never – not once – wavered.
I wrote the above words for Halliday Wine Companion, during my tenure as its chief editor. These words were part of the introduction to Hodder’s entry into the Halliday Hall of Fame. Hodder is a celebrated winemaker but by rights she should yet be celebrated more. She is a modern day Australian wine legend. She has also, it must be acknowledged, been assisted over a long period of time by assistant winemaker Sarah Pidgeon. Pidgeon is a hero in her own right; she’s the deputy everyone would love to have.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine Australian wine enthusiasts cut their teeth on, learn from, live with, and age with. It’s the wine that stays with us, on our way. It’s a wine that could have become a relic, but never has. Sue Hodder and her team have fought for this wine, and won. Indeed every year Hodder finds and fights for a range of beautiful parcels of fruit, which become beautiful wines, which become part of the wonder of our wine lives.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of Australian red wine. For this wine alone, released annually, Wynns Coonawarra Estate would qualify as a Mattinson 10-Star winery. But then the same too could be said of Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael Shiraz, and Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, and too for its regular single vineyard bottlings.
In Wynns Coonawarra Estate we trust and, as much or more, we respect.
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More: I wrote on a vertical tasting of iconic Australian red wine Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon here [Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet – 40 Years, Vertical Tasting].
I also wrote about [Wynns Black Label Cabernet – A 50 Year Vertical Tasting].
There are 46 reviews of Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon on The Winefront site, dating back to 1986.
Reviews of Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon on The Winefront are listed here.
Reviews of Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael Shiraz on The Winefront are listed here.
