2021 Vintage Update from Sue Hodder
The end of April 2021 provided glorious autumn weather, which was a fitting end to a very high-quality vintage at Wynns Coonawarra Estate. Some of the last parcels picked were our highly prized Cabernet vineyards in front of the Gables winery. This is our Alex 88 vineyard.
Of course, the very last grapes picked were the classic Pedro Ximénez (also called PX) from the now 100+ year old vines that can be seen on the iconic Wynns labels designed by Richard Beck.
The ripening conditions were very favourable…long, cool, and dry, with the harvest of Cabernet taking place in mid to late April, very much in line with the classic Coonawarra vintages of the late 80s through 90s.
Most importantly, the wines are excellent. They reflect the cooler year in the best possible way with very intense colours, fine tannins and cooler aromas and flavours. The all-important Cabernet wines have plenty of fine tannin, guaranteeing cellaring potential. Shiraz is also deeply coloured – almost black in some cases – with more red fruit and black pepper than in recent years. Overall, a very high-quality vintage in Coonawarra.
Highlights of Vintage 2021:
- A pale and completely dry Cabernet Rose
- Wynns Riesling to be bottled in May
- Sarah’s V&A Lane wines amongst the best (since the label was introduced in 2006)
- Intensely coloured and very spicy Shiraz
- Beautiful elegant Cabernet with excellent fruit and balance
- Some exciting new small batches of field and cellar blends and new varieties.
Winery activity
In the winery we are pressing all the batches of grapes off skins and will gradually fill them to French oak barrels. Consecutively, we will start taking the 2020 wines out of their barrels to prepare them for bottling. The wine cycle goes around!
Wynns Cellar Door
We were delighted to win the Gourmet Traveller Wine award for Best Large Cellar Door and Best Tasting Experience in Coonawarra, and are delighted to see some old and many new visitors again. Back vintage wines are currently the hot item in Cellar Door and our MYOB (make your own blend) is very popular to those who want to try their own hand at wine blending.
Around the region
We are going to miss our wonderful neighbouring restaurant Fodder + Ottelia as they embark on a kitchen renovation, re-opening in August. However, those great cooks are going to be busy in their pop-up chicken shop, Cluckers, in Penola. Cluckers will be in operation “for a good time, not a long time”. Two of our neighbours and friends, Brand’s Laira and Balnaves of Coonawarra, have also done some beautiful upgrades on their cellar doors.
Wynns is hosting a Comedy Night on the 14th May as part of the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival. We would love to see you in Coonawarra for that special small festival.
Regards,
Sue Hodder, Senior Winemaker