TN: yet another Wynns Dinner!
Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2026 4:37 pm
WYNNS-KEMENYS-GLASS WITH SUE HODDER - Glass Brasserie, Sydney (24/07/2026)
A special invite to a dinner at Glass Brasserie jointly hosted by retailer Kemeny’s in association with Wynns Coonawarra, including the informative presence of Wynns’ long-serving senior winemaker Sue Hodder. Legend! Whatever flirtation Wynns might have had with the high-oak, high-alcohol trends of the 90s and 00s is well behind them now. Savoury, medium-bodied wines are the aim; check the alcohol levels below for confirmation. They also seem to be one of the few brands inside the Treasury camp where the introduction of additional premium cuvees does not seem to have impacted the quality of the long-standing labels; the black label cabernet in particular (although whether that’s been achieved via production volume tweaks we mortals will never know). At any rate, it certainly looks from the outside like Wynns has been buffeted much less by the vagaries of the industry over the last quarter century (frequent tweaks to label design notwithstanding) than other brands in Treasury’s portfolio, like Penfolds, Seppelt, Rosemount, Lindemans, not the mention those which have been mothballed entirely. The two older wines below were decanted, everything else was just opened and poured as required. Prices are Wynns’ RRP per their promotional material. A terrific night – thanks to all involved.
A special invite to a dinner at Glass Brasserie jointly hosted by retailer Kemeny’s in association with Wynns Coonawarra, including the informative presence of Wynns’ long-serving senior winemaker Sue Hodder. Legend! Whatever flirtation Wynns might have had with the high-oak, high-alcohol trends of the 90s and 00s is well behind them now. Savoury, medium-bodied wines are the aim; check the alcohol levels below for confirmation. They also seem to be one of the few brands inside the Treasury camp where the introduction of additional premium cuvees does not seem to have impacted the quality of the long-standing labels; the black label cabernet in particular (although whether that’s been achieved via production volume tweaks we mortals will never know). At any rate, it certainly looks from the outside like Wynns has been buffeted much less by the vagaries of the industry over the last quarter century (frequent tweaks to label design notwithstanding) than other brands in Treasury’s portfolio, like Penfolds, Seppelt, Rosemount, Lindemans, not the mention those which have been mothballed entirely. The two older wines below were decanted, everything else was just opened and poured as required. Prices are Wynns’ RRP per their promotional material. A terrific night – thanks to all involved.
- 2025 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Riesling The Siding - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 12.5%, $22} [Wynns/Kemenys] Pale straw. Grassy, lemony nose. Dry, light-bodied palate also of grass and straw. Even but fleeting presence on the palate. Unpretentious sort of wine with a shortish finish. I know Coonawarra can make fantastic Riesling (although you have to look back to the 80s); I guess it’s just not financially viable these days given vineyard land prices. This is not a cellaring style. - 2025 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Chardonnay Black Label Messenger Vineyard - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 12.7%, $45} [Wynns/Kemenys] Light and youthful nose of sandalwood, brioche and melon. A dry palate, with lowish but clean and natural acidity, offers rockmelon and a nod to grapefruit. Light-medium in weight, subtle oak. Short/medium finish. Likely to blossom somewhat over a few years though. Tidy wine; not quite sure of the value at this price though. - 2023 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz Merlot Malbec - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 13.6%, $20} [Wynns/Kemenys] The old red stripe wine in its latest guise. The dark green label is apposite, as it’s the last wine tonight which shows any stalky or green herb-like character. There’s also a rustic aspect to what I assume is malbec fruit. The palate is a bit raw, with some American coconut oak balancing medium acidity and low chalky tannins. Has some presence along most of the palate, finishes short/medium length but at the price (and frequently discounted) it’s pretty fair value. - 2022 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Old Vines - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 13.1%, $45} [Wynns/Kemenys] Polished spicy aromas, with mulberry, blackberry. Subtle oak. The youth is very obvious on the palate, with tight medium powdery tannins and quite buttoned-up red grape fruit. Medium weight, medium length finish. Wants a few years to come together. Looking promising despite a slightly patchy vintage. - 2021 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz V & A Lane - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 12.8%, $60} [Wynns/Kemenys] Faint mint, cedar and spice, blackberry. Blind you’d swear it’s mostly shiraz, but no. Silky-smooth palate, with low-medium chalky tannins, subtle oak, and even a touch of earth. Spicy red fruit generally. Medium weight, without fat. Even palate, medium length finish. An old-fashioned claret-style wine according to Sue. Grapes are co-picked (the V&A vineyards) and co-fermented. Lean without being mean. Cellar a decade easily for great results. - 2024 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Franc Limited Release - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 12.9%, $80} [Wynns/Kemenys] Lifted spice, with an almost grassy sauvignon sort of character. Light cherry fruit, with five-spice hint. Savoury palate of barely medium weight, medium acidity and medium powdery tannins. Has a translucence about it, a piquant lightness. Beguiling, medium length savoury finish. We can expect more of this grape from Wynns according to Sue (and why am I not surprised that it’s seen as a better option than stand-alone merlot, for instance?). Give this five years to meld and blossom. - 2021 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 13.8%, $45} [Wynns/Kemenys] Pure currants. Faint hint of basil & herb, but mostly black-fruited. Polished palate of blackcurrant, absent greenery or raisins. Ticks all the medium boxes. Yes, drinkable now, but should age gracefully for a couple of decades. Medium-long finish that’s full of promise. Bang on target. - 2005 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{cork, 14.5%} [Glass cellar] Aging cedary perfume. Lots of cigar-box; nodding to Bdx in style, but with unmistakeable Australian fruit driving through. Only really partly developed on the palate; maturing, with no rush. Has a medium-bodied elegance about it, with medium dusty tannins subtle oak and medium acidity. Medium long finish. A triumph. - 1991 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Centenary - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{magnum, cork, 12.5%} [Graeme] Level at bottom of neck, decanted about two hours before serving. Two-thirds shiraz, one third cabernet. NOT, as many have thought, a marriage of the Michael and John Riddoch components, but a unique, claret-style cuvee from then-chief winemaker Peter Douglas which has served as a bit of inspiration for the modern V&A bottlings. At peak now, with cedar, spiced black fruit, medium dusty tannin, subtle oak. Elegant, medium weight wine, with an even palate and about medium-length finish; perhaps the only slight let down being that it wasn’t longer. Still, at 35 years on, it’s impressively seductive in a low-key way. - 2019 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz Michael - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 13.8%, $150} [Wynns/Kemenys] Spicy herbs and white pepper nose. Youthful and restrained, pointed and precise. The medium-bodied palate is focused and tight, with scant, peppery cherry fruit, light oak. It’s clearly built for the long haul, but is very much a savoury style of wine. Still easy to drink now, although that’s not really what you’re paying for. - 2018 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{screwcap, 14%, $175} [Wynns/Kemenys] No longer meant to be a ‘blockbuster’ wine; the 90s style is well in the past. This has only a subtle cedar oak framing of luscious blackcurrant fruit; the palate is barely beyond medium in weight, with medium/high but very tight powdery tannins, and a polished air to the fruit, judged with perfect ripeness. Medium/long rich finish, but it’s by no means an in-your-face wine. In a world of pumped-up sports sedans with flares and spoilers, this a like a bespoke Bristol in comparison. Ought to improve for twenty years easily. - NV Wynns Coonawarra Estate Pedro Ximénez - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
{500ml, cork, 17%, $80} [Wynns/Kemenys] Spirity nose of camphor and carpet, caramel and toffee. On the palate there’s a bit of leather and old wood, with the sweet smell of dry-rot. That’s a good thing. Caramel flavours, too, cold tea, medium-sweet even palate presence and a medium/long finish. Perhaps a little simple in flavour for the price; maybe you’re paying a bit for the PX novelty as opposed to the muscats and muscadelles which are so much more common in these parts.
