Twin tastings reveal WA’s great cabernets (and where to find them this summer)

A good wine tasting will usually open your eyes to the magic of a particular region or variety, but now and then one blows your mind at such a level that you never forget it.

Two recent back-to-back events in the heart of Margaret River wine country left indelible impressions on the senses and memory and reinforced in the barest terms why cabernet sauvignon along the 110-kilometre stretch of winding road in the South West are truly works of wonder.

The scene at the 39th international cabernet tasting at Cape Mentelle last month.Credit: David Prestipino

Cape Mentelle and Cullen Wines are two pioneer wineries of the region and each celebrated their 50-year anniversaries recently. But they stand miles apart as cabernet producers.

The former is owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and has a swag of winemakers that contribute to its range in a meticulous manner, while Cullen is steeped in family tradition and strict biodynamic winemaking principles, where instinct, emotion and the lunar calendar drive their efforts. Their cabernet sauvignons are also wholly different in style.

The 39th International Cabernet Tasting, hosted by Cape Mentelle, featured 20 of the world’s best cabernet sauvignons from six regions across four countries, from vintage 2018.

Each wine highlighted the unique qualities of cabernet from recognised and acclaimed international and local wine regions and producers and were tasted in three brackets.

Despite the casual feel to the Cannes-like extravaganza at one of Margaret River’s original founding wineries, the November ticket was as coveted as the bottles of wine that were pre-poured in Cape Mentelle’s expansive cellar room that hosted the 200-odd guests.

The class of 2018: 20 cabernets chosen for the 2021 Cape Mentelle tasting.Credit: David Prestipino

A sip-and-spit affair for a $700 fee, the price tag seems high but clued-up cabernet fans would not have blinked an eye given the legendary tasting has lured some of the world’s best wine judges since 1982, with leading Australian writer James Halliday and British critic Jancis Robinson among them.

The 2021 affair featured wines from Bordeaux (including the $2500 Lafite Rothschild), Tuscany, Napa Valley in California, and Australia’s Eden Valley, Yarra Valley and Margaret River, with the eight WA cabernets again showing they are equal or better than the world’s traditional leading cabernet producer in Bordeaux.

Those travelling south this summer can get a taste of the experience at close to nothing: Margaret River wineries that featured at the international tasting were Cullen Wines, Juniper Estate, Deep Woods, Devil’s Lair, McHenry Hohnen, Xanadu, Vasse Felix and the host Cape Mentelle (Moss Wood and Cloudburst were notable exceptions).

Twin tastings at Cullen Wines and Cape Mentelle have again highlighted why Margaret River cabernet sauvignon is among the best in the world.

Vintage by vintage has been a guiding philosophy at Cape Mentelle ever since the winery’s first commercial release off a 35-acre block back in 1976, with good reason. A year earlier, the entire 1975 crop was consumed by cows on a neighbouring property at the Wallcliffe estate. It is now one of the greatest wine labels in Australia.

This year’s tasting was significant for two reasons: wines were from the famed 2018 vintage, which many winemakers believe is the best in decades; while 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the first plantings on the estate.​

A day earlier, at Cullen’s 50-year celebration cabernet tasting, chief winemaker and managing director Vanya Cullen led an intimate, three-bracket tasting of the estate’s cabernet sauvignon, dating back to 1978.

“We selected the best wines which have given direction to that journey of excellence,” Ms Cullen said.

John Jens, centre, at Cullen’s 50th anniversary cabernet tasting, which included vintages as far back as 1978.Credit: David Prestipino

The day and time of the tasting was chosen for its biodynamic lunar significance: a full moon fruit day – the best time for enjoying cabernet sauvignon.

The wines remain a work of art, with distinct flavours drawn largely by the clay, loam and ironstone soils of the Wilyabrup estate, the Mediterranean climate and a commitment to picking fruit and bottling in line with the biodynamic lunar calendar.

There were different blends, different oak treatments, vintages and closures but consistency in style: graceful, perfumed, harmonious, expressive, pure, clean, fresh, layered, fluid, dense, savoury, balanced, ironclad, alive.\

The Cullen cellar door in Wilyabrup is open all summer holidays, so if you happen to stop by for a tasting, it is worth considering these attributes when tasting all the wines, not just the reds and cabernet sauvignons.