Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 Wholesale Price $88.40 approx. One of Coonawarra’s lesser-known wineries is Zema Estate. Despite that, its proprietor Demitrio Zema is the loquacious local painter and one of the district’s true personalities. In his most individual of ways, he set up next to Rouge Homme with a small vineyard of shiraz and cabernet which he has since expanded, built an ample and operable winery, and with his family and multi award-winning and semi-retired winemaker Ken Ward, has turned out a string of flavoursome, full-bodied Coonawarra reds of genuine quality and character. Demitrio Zema and family operate a small family-owned and managed business, found right in the heart of the Coonawarra area, on some of the best dirt in the district. The region’s other winemakers have all cast an envied eye from time to time at the quality of the Zemas’ cabernet sauvignon and shiraz fruit, some of the only grapes̻ in the area still harvested by hand. Like most small wineries, Zema Estate has shown some reluctance in settling into a regular label design, but the latest diagonal presentation looks set to do the trick for a couple of years yet. It can be seen on bottles of 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1986 Shiraz, of which I prefer the Cabernet Sauvignon, although much lighter in style and body than preceding vintages. Having purchased their 20 acre block in March 1982, the Zemas moved quickly to have the first stage of the winery ready for the 1983 vintage. They increased the size of their plantings with another ten acres of cabernet sauvignon in 1984, which came into production with the 1988 vintage. The 1988 cabernet, which I am yet to come across, is by all accounts an exceptional wine. 1988 also saw the extensions to the winery as the Zemas quadrupled its size. The family purchased another sixty acres of land in the same year of which they expect to plant twenty in 1990 with the Bordeaux varieties of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. Stage three of the winery is currently under way to make room for the anticipated increase in production. In an age of big company take-overs and mergers it is refreshing to see that the entire Zema family are fully involved in all vineyard and winery operations from managing the soil to labelling the bottles. Locals and visitors alike are amazed at the speed of their developments. Over the fence other Coonawarra growers are doubtless quaking in their boots, dreading the possible spectral white-overalled appearance of Demitrio Zema arriving to ask “Ow mucha you wanna sell you land for, mite?” These Australian Italians are clearly on the move, and good on ’em. The 1986 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a fresh, fruity red with intense red berry favours and softness on the palate. The nose is restrained and elegant. Given only a modest oak treatment in sympathy with the comparative lightness of the wine (against the Zema blockbusters of the past), it is well balanced and harmonious. It still has soft tannins which contribute depth, but these do not prevent the wine from being enjoyed now. I would suggest it has a cellar life of around another three years. For the price it gives individuality, drinkability and genuine fruit quality.
