A local retailer organized a small formal sit-down tasting of Majella wines with the estate owner, Brian Lynn, who had come in from Coonawarra in South Australia. The crowd was very small (given that it was a weeknight, early start and Majella isn't a particularly big name outside Australia, which is a shame) so it was nice to get the chance to sit down and taste the wines leisurely and chat with Brian who is an incredibly nice and passionate guy (in addition to being in charge of an operation that's making some really great wines).
Brian took us through the major wines/labels from Majella and opened a few older bottles from the winery museum stash to show that these were wines that could be aged without any issue. An incredibly fun tasting with a great guy - and the wines were overall excellent, almost all showing a great sense of balance and structure and in most cases that Coonawarra signature of mint, eucalyptus and dusty elements. Was nice to see the new vintages were all under screwcap, and the alcohol levels on the reds were all very consistent between the 13-14% range. Brian said that the Coonawarra region's considered one of the great regions down under for making red wine, given the cool nights that retain the acidity in the grapes unlike in the McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley and the unique 'terra rossa' red soil over limestone that gives the wines a sense of place (that I've found true in all the other Coonawarra Cabs I've had).
2009 Majella Riesling
Brian said this had just been bottled a couple of weeks ago - surprising to taste an '09 so early in the year, but this was really delicious. Haven't looked at Coonawarra as a source for dry Rieslings (normally look in the Great Southern, Victoria and Tasmania when searching in Australia) but after this I'll have to keep my eyes open. Very pale straw colour with aromatics of smoke, minerals, lemon zest and faint floral elements. Fantastic in the mouth; bone dry with lemon and lime fruit flavours over a bed of rocky minerals and mouthwatering acidity that gives this tremendous cut and precision. Finishes long with a sense of great refreshment. Excellent.
2008 Majella The Musician
This is their 'bistro' red - Brian said this had been designed as a cheaper (17 AUD back in Australia) entry level wine that cost less than their Cab or Shiraz bottlings and was initially made specially for restaurants' wine lists. Cabernet/Shiraz blend (didn't get the percentages) with very little oak used for easy drinking. Bright plum and cherry flavours on the nose and palate with a faint candied sweetness to the fruit; more one-dimensional and simpler than the other Majella wines but still quite pleasant to sip on and well balanced with good acidity giving it a sense of freshness, fairly soft tannins and a medium length finish. Nice if a bit simple, wouldn't turn down a glass of this but probably wouldn't reach for a second.
Then we moved onto the main Majella reds. We were told that the Shiraz (which I hadn't tasted before) is aged in American oak (old and new), the Cabernet in French oak (old and new) and the Malleea - a 55% Cabernet, 45% Shiraz blend - in only new French oak.
The Malleea is their high end 'flagship' wine, but the two Cabernets blew me away and were my favourite wines of the night.
2004 Majella Shiraz
Very ripe, fruit-driven nose with bright plummy flavours over softer spice and vanilla elements and some earth and toasty oak notes that emerge with more air. Balanced and well structured in the mouth with rich black cherry and plum fruit flavours over earth and subtle hints of oak, firm tannins underneath and good acidity. Finishes long, just needs time for the oak to integrate better (it's not obtrusive now but as the '99 showed, it ought to get better with time).
1999 Majella Shiraz
Clear dark red colour bricking at the rim, showing a great nose of leather, red and dark fruits, earth and menthol with the oak well integrated and not perceptible and faint meaty elements emerging with some more air. Elegant and medium bodied in the mouth with flavours of black cherries, plum and hints of cocoa and mint, fine grained tannins on the back end and a savoury leathery finish that stays with you a good while.
2007 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon
Very young and primary now, but this is already incredibly delicious and beautifully balanced. Packed with cassis and dark fruited flavours dusted with mint leaves and faint earthy notes; there's a sense of incredible freshness to the fruit with ample acidity underneath that makes this feel surprisingly light on its feet, chewy tannins on the back end and a savoury long finish. Fantastic wine that's already drinking very well now and has all the stuffing and structure to last and improve for a very long time.
1999 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon
Clear dark red colour bricking at the rim. Lovely complex nose with cassis, black olives, currants, herbs and subtle cedar and earthy notes and that typical Coonawarra eucalyptus/minty element. Superb balance in the mouth; elegant, silky textured and medium bodied with fresh currants and olive flavours seamlessly mingling with softer herbaceous elements, cedar and mint. Fine grained tannins on the back end with good acidity giving it lift and a long finish.
1998 Majella The Malleea (Cabernet-Shiraz)
Surprisingly deep purple in colour without any sign of age, similarly youthful to taste and smell with bright primary plums, blackberries and red fruits on the nose and palate over softer hints of leather, eucalyptus and tobacco. Great balance (once again, as I'm finding with all the Majella wines) with the fruit matched by still-firm tannins on the back end and bright acidity. Finishes very long; lots of power and concentration here but presented in a lovely balanced package that should last quite a while longer.
2005 Majella The Malleea (Cabernet-Shiraz)
Incredibly primary and young, almost feels like a barrel sample with very fresh, intense dark fruited flavours over notes of pepper, mint, earth and subtle cedar wood. Tremendous power and richness here with a wall of firm tannins on the back end and decent acidity underneath. Hands off for a long time.
A very enjoyable evening; overall impressions I left with is that these are generally excellent wines in a more classic Australian style (a long way from the goop that normally shows up on shelves in the US) and with the exception of the Musician which is made for early drinking, the wines are really built to last and develop over a long time while also being really delicious young.
