Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet

A highlight of my recent visit to Coonawarra was a vertical tasting of Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, with head winemaker Sue Hodder. The line-up included three wines from each decade, from the 1950s to the present. Samples of all these wines also went to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) in Adelaide, where they are carrying out research into the way wines age. I’ve added a few comments on each decade but the tasting notes are the real substance here, telling a story of remarkable longevity and the evolution of Wynns’ archetypal elegant style.

In 1954, the first year Wynns...