'Black Label' Cabernet Sauvignon, which was first vintaged in 1954, has evolved markedly over the decades. It is arguably Australia's most recognised Cabernet Sauvignon and has more than any other, helped define Coonawarra. The wine is matured in new and seasoned French oak for 12 to 18 months.
A classic Coonawarra Cabernet with pristine dark berry/ cassis aromas, fine-grained tannins and underlying savoury nuances, it develops into a rich, chocolaty wine with age. In a super vintage, this wine can look astonishingly like a 2nd or 3rd growth Bordeaux with its pure cassis aromas and cedary complexity.
"Medium-deep crimson. Beautiful blackcurrant, black plum aromas with violet, dark cherry aromas and underlying toasty oak nuances. Superb cassis, black plum flavours, inky textures fine long graphite tannins, vanilla oak complexity and vinosity. Finishes chalky firm and minerally with lovely fruit sweetness. This is a brilliant black label with all the hallmarks of a great vintage and reflecting the Coonawarra terroir at its best. 13.8%"
98 points, Andrew Caillard MW
"I genuinely like seeing the Wynns Black Label roll into my tastings, a great yardstick, a wine that seems to have hit a golden patch, a wonderfully serious wine. The 2016 harvest has some enthusiasm about it for Coonawarra spotters.
It’s a shapely, structured wine of fine tannin, lithe but flavoursome fruit character, exceptional length and a general ambience of sophistication. It’s perhaps not as taut as some releases have been of late, but there is a svelte feel and the wine offers depth and satisfying concentration. Tannins start tight and spread in a fan, there’s lively acidity playing underneath keeping things fresh. Each sip reveals a bit more, until critical mass, and then you get the gist that this wine has a little extra heft, spice of mocha oak and perky, tight-skinned, dark berry fruit flavours come to the fore. It’s wonderful drinking, perhaps earlier drinking too. Drink to 2030+"
93+ points, Mike Bennie, June 2018.
"This is sumptuous, savoury cabernet at a ridiculous price. The tannins are pristine and tight of grain; the acidity fresh and juicy; the oak embellishing rather than smothering; the fruit, an effortless flow of currant, leaf, mint, bitter chocolate and a punctuation of bay leaf and a herbal potpourri, staining the long finish." 95 Points, Ned Goodwin
"Deep, ripe cabernet aromas, blackberry and cedar, with a subtle but noticeable kiss of oak, and no green elements. The wine is very elegant and balanced, intense and soft textured, ripe and harmonious. The body is only medium to full, the tannins velvet smooth. A superb example of the Wynns style. (The 61st vintage of the 'black label')." 95 Points, Huon Hooke
"A perfectly composed and refined cabernet sauvignon with plush dark fruit and exquisitely integrated tannin. The balance of this wine is superb, allowing it to be enjoyed now, or well into the future." 95 Points, Toni Paterson MW
Coonawarra
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra by John Riddoch in 1890, however it was not until the renewed interest in table wine production in the 1950's that Coonawarra was brought into the limelight. Located almost 380 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is today one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia. Its weathered limestone terra rossa soils, avaibility of water and relatively cool maritime climate make it a unique viticultural region. Extremely flat and unprotected, Coonawarra is exposed both to the swinging influences of the cool Great Southern Ocean and hot, dry northerly winds. Spring frosts also pose a major threat with the potential to wipe out entire crops. Mechanical harvesting is widely employed in the region although smaller producers prefer to tend their vines by hand. Coonawarra is best known for classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon, although in good years, Shiraz from the region is also very compelling.
