Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Overview
Overview
Wynns Black Label Cabernet is a true icon of Australian wine. First produced in 1954, it has a reputation for ageing gracefully and displaying excellent varietal and regional characteristics. The wine is produced from only the top quality 20 to 25 per cent of Cabernet Sauvignon fruit grown in our terra rossa vineyards.
A wine of style and stature - and a perennial favourite in auction circles - ‘Black Label’ is one of Australia’s most collectable wines and Australia’s benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon. It consistently delivers potential for medium to long-term cellaring.
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Coonawarra |
| Volume | 750 mL |
| Closure | Screw Cap |
| Alc/Vol | 13.4% |
| Peak Drinking | Enjoy Now - 2035 |
| Winemaker | Sarah Pidgeon |
Awards and Accolades
Awards and Accolades
| 96 Points | Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot |
| 96 Points | Shanteh Wale |
| 95 Points | Jeni Port, Wine Pilot |
| 95 Points | Ken Gargett |
| 94 Points | David Sly |
| 94 Points | Jamie Goode |
| 92 Points | Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot |
| 18.5+ Points | Matthew Jukes |
| 16.5+ Points | Jancis Robinson |
Shanteh Wale
"21 days on skins and matured for 16 months in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads and barriques. The colour is a deeply pigmented magenta. The purity of just-ripe, immaculate blackberries, currants and plums is astounding. It’s almost stark in its pureness of fruit and restraint of oak additions. Elongated tannins and lingering acidity with Nyon olive brine, nutmeg and the slightest touch of fresh picked bay leaf. Confident and completely unsullied. Stunning now and will only improve with age. This is a testament to scintillating fruit and the winemaker’s appreciation of it."
Ray Jordan
"This is the 67th vintage of this famous Australian wine first made in 1954, sourced from the best fruit of the Terra Rosa strip through Coonawarra. There have been some truly exceptional Black Labels over the years, and this is certainly right up there with the best of them. Typically, elegant and stylishly refined with bright fruits a feature. The fine tannin and oak combination support the firm thread through the core. It’s a wine with remarkable ageing potential. In fact, there are few better value cellaring wines than this icon."
Matthew Jukes
"This is the 67th vintage of Black Label, and it must be noted that this is a very strong one in the history of this incredibly important wine. With gorgeous blackcurrant and blackberry fruit on the nose, this is an expressive vintage and one of the more structured and bolder of late. It possesses strident tannins and a formal stance on the palate that takes me back to my early introductions to this wine some four decades ago. But of course, this wine could never have been made back then because the know-how in the vineyard and winery had not evolved to the skills Wynns deploys today, and this means the fruit is so much purer and more defined. With stunning breeding, thrilling traction and spice and an immoveable sense of place, this is a genuinely great Black Label, and I am confident it will pop up in my 100 Best Australian Wines Report when this vintage makes it to the UK.."
Food Pairing
Food Pairing
Beef
Fish
Seafood
Salad
Veg
Spicy Food
Taste Description
Taste Description
Nose
Unfolds a wonderfully lifted perfume, as vibrant blackcurrants, tobacco, and cocoa dust lead an aroma underpinned by black plum and fresh raspberry, with a cleanly defined scent of sage adding fragrance.
Flavours and Palate
A silken flow of red and black varietal berry fruits burst onto the palate, yet it remains beautifully measured, with its elegant, medium-weighted pulse ably checked by an ultra-fine framework of powdery tannin and a refreshing acidity. Its controlled structure, brightness and persistence coalesce harmoniously, reflecting an exceptional Wynns vintage destined to age gracefully, yet still possessive of the youthful balance essential for immediate consumption.
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
Coonawarra, South Australia
Coonawarra, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, is a flat, isolated region almost mid-point between Adelaide and Melbourne. The area enjoys a cool maritime climate - similar to that of Bordeaux - and is renowned for its unique terra rossa soil. Rich, rust coloured soils… crimson sunburnt faces… magenta sunsets: this is red wine country! While Coonawarra is famous for its rich, minty Cabernet, the area also produces Shiraz and Merlot and surprisingly good Chardonnay and Riesling.
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Overall, the 2022 Coonawarra vintage was a high-quality year without any obvious climate change impacts. After a cold start to the season, Budburst occurred in a cool spring. Thankfully, flowering week was ideal – warm temperatures with no wind – resulting in an even berry set. The ideal flowering conditions and above average temperatures led to even red coloring with minimal variability between bunches.
Harvest dates ranged from late April into May. This is in line with long term average dates for Wynns Coonawarra Estate. Vintage 2022 exemplifies the Wynns Coonawarra Estate medium bodied age worthy style.
Sarah Pidgeon - Winemaker
In 1998 Sarah was appointed winemaker at the renowned Wynns Coonawarra Estate winery. Here she feels privileged to continue the tradition of excellence and innovation, working with fruit from some of Australia’s top vineyards on the internationally famed terra rossa soil.
A love of well cellared, mature wines has been cultivated through her custodianship of the precious Wynns Museum Release wines. An intense knowledge of the terroir of Coonawarra vineyards, and great skill with coaxing the best from old vine Cabernets are among her constant rewards.
Questioning and challenging are important to ensuring a healthy future for Wynns and to this end Sarah has contributed to many important trials including development of a rigorous oak selection programme, and other technical trials for the winery.
A graduate of the prestigious Len Evans Wine Tutorial, her recent judging experience spans a decade at both regional and national shows.