They are sweet, elegant and ripe; not especially powerful or long-living, but they’re immediately enjoyable and most are a pleasure to drink. They are Australia’s red wines, circa 1994. 1994 was never exactly an ugly duckling across the Australian scene. Although it was particularly dry in most wine regions, cooler conditions than normal delayed ripening and harvest, fostering wines of tightness and fineness where we might usually have expected richness and concentration. Should such a thing exist, the standard 1994 Australian red is an approachable, undemanding wine with intense fruit flavours and lighter, finer tannins which you can enjoy straight away. That said, a couple of regions have every right to claim the 1994 season to one right out of the box: Western Australia’s Margaret River and Lower Great Southern, plus SA’s Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills. So, now that the wines are on the shelves, how are they shaping up? Better than you might have expected, if you ask me. Let’s take a flying visit around Australia, uncorking a few reds along the way… As previously suggested, WA’s red wines from 1994, especially those from the areas south of Perth, are little short of spectacular. Warm and dry conditions helped all the big name vineyards to perform well, while the vintage did even more to justify the high expectations of the new Pemberton region. With flavours concentrated by smaller crops than usual, the Margaret River has released yet another fine collection of intensely-flavoured reds in 1994, epitomised by the immediately attractive Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot (7), the stylish Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon (8) and a spectacular, yet supremely elegant Cullens Cabernet Merlot (9). Newcomer Rosabrook’s 1994 red releases of Shiraz (7) and Cabernet Merlot (6) are two deeply coloured reds at an affordable price, each offering density of flavour typical of Margaret River. Although most wineries are yet to release their 1994 reds, the Lower Great Southern area (comprising Mount Barker, Frankland River and Albany) experienced an excellent hot and dry season. Plantagenet’s brilliantly Rhone-ish Shiraz (8) is spicy and elegant, with dark berry and plum flavours, while its fleshy, sweet Pinot Noir (7) also gives some idea of the promise this vintage offers. The Swan Valley had a dry, mild and cooler season, so consequently its wines are lighter and less generous than usual; almost cool-climate in style. Evans and Tate’s Gnangara Shiraz (6) is a typically lighter, earlier-drinking Swan red from 1994. Moving eastwards to South Australia, the Clare Valley experienced a long dry spell from January through to harvest, ripening its 1994 wines from all varieties perfectly. A look at the recently released Leasingham stable of reds confirms just how fine the season was. The Bin 61 Shiraz (6) and the Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec (7) are multiple award winners, for good reason. Both pack intense, mouthfilling fruit with assertive, savoury oak and carefully integrated tannins. The Shiraz is marginally the better wine and shows exactly why the modern ripe Australian shiraz combo with American oak is as popular as ever before. Although the wines are judged before they are properly finished in the winery, the winner of the 1995 Jimmy Watson Trophy was Leasingham’s Classic Clare Shiraz (8) from 1994. It’s a genuinely top-notch red – just imagine the Bin 61 with even more fruit intensity and length, but minus the occasional rough edge. Quite possibly the best Watson winner for some time. Like many Clare cabernets from 1994, its cousin, the Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet (8) is another tightly-crafted wine, with sweet and lingering small red and black berry flavours and creamy chocolate oak; another certain crowd-pleaser. The Wilson Vineyard has possibly made its best ever Cabernet Sauvignon (7) in 1994, while the Grosset Gaia cabernet blend (8) continues its purple patch which began with the 1992 vintage. The Tim Knappstein Cabernet Merlot (6) and the Pike Cabernet Sauvignon (8) and Shiraz (8) are both attractive reds for the medium term. Coonawarra’s 1994 reds are undeniably pretty and easy to drink young, but are generally lighter, sweeter and finer than usual. The Redman releases of Shiraz (7) and Cabernet Sauvignon (7) are fresh, delicate and appealing, while the Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (7) offers ripe fruit with more backbone. The best 1994 Cabernet Sauvignons released so far from Coonawarra are a very refined and elegant Katnook Estate (9) and a riper, more voluptuous Bowen Estate (8). The Shirazes from Leconfield (8) and Riddoch (7) are generously flavoured but early to mature, while the market-leading Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz (7) plays a similar tune. Wines like the Peter Lehmann Cabernet Sauvignon (7) and Shiraz (8), plus the Mamre Brook Cabernet Shiraz (7) each lack the density and weight of the previous vintage, but being typical of the Barossa Valley reds from 1994, they’re ready to enjoy now and will be early to mature. Seriously affected by the same two weeks of extreme heat prior to harvest that caused the worst bushfires in New South Wales for many years, the Hunter Valley had a mixed red vintage. Its old low-cropping shiraz vineyards were still able to ripen fully, but most of the region’s other reds disappointed for richness and flavour. Of the notable exceptions, Tyrrells Vat 11 Dry Red (Shiraz) (8) and the Sutherland Shiraz (7) are well-structured reds suited for cellaring. Victoria’s 1994 was another late, cool and patchy affair. The cooler regions were affected by a cool, wet period after flowering which reduced cropping levels and which helped some vineyards create smaller than usual volumes of especially intense wines. The premium Pinot Noirs of Tarra Warra (8), Bannockburn (9) and Coldstream Hills Reserve (9) are little short of exceptional and Yarra Ridge (8) fashioned its best Pinot Noir in years. The high quality of both the 1994 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz (7) and Cabernet Sauvignon (7) suggest that when the bulk of the Yarra’s top 1994 reds emerge, they will be worth looking for. The Mornington Peninsula’s 1994 season was clearly better for pinot noir than the cabernet varieties. Look for excellent pinots from Stonier’s Reserve label (8), Paringa Estate (8) and Port Phillip Estate (7). * Ratings given in brackets are quality ratings from The Australian Wine Handbook by Jeremy Oliver.
