A Night That Started With a Cork… Well, a Screw Cap

Tonight’s bottle was a Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, and before I’d even poured a glass something strange happened.

I cracked the screw cap and was met with a slight hiss, almost like opening a sparkling wine. A little puff escaped, almost like steam. Not something you expect from a red.

Straight into the decanter it went.

On first taste, it was exactly what I hoped for. Cassis on the nose, then in the glass a hit of pure blackcurrant. Proper concentration, long finish, and tannins that had a bit of grip about them.

At that point I thought, this is good but let’s see where it goes.

Four Hours Later A Different Wine Entirely

Coming back to it after four hours was where things got interesting.

The tannins had completely changed. What started out grippy had softened right down into something silky. The fruit was still there but more composed, more integrated.

And then it happened again.

That flavour I’ve only ever noticed in higher end wines started to show itself. It doesn’t jump out straight away. It comes after a proper swirl in the mouth and pulling a bit of air through the wine.

It sits right at the back, almost in the tonsil area, and just lingers.

Hard to describe, but the closest I can get is something like graphite or pencil lead mixed with that cassis core. Not something you taste in everyday wines.

That’s when you start to realise you’re not just tasting fruit anymore. You’re tasting structure.

The Lamb Pairing That Just Worked

Dinner was simple. Lamb, salt, pepper, rendered fat. Nothing overcomplicated.

And it was a match made in heaven.

The tannins softened even more with the fat from the lamb, but something else happened too. The fruit stepped back slightly and the savoury side of the wine came forward.

That lingering finish became more pronounced. Less about blackcurrant, more about that deeper, more serious side of the wine.

It’s one of those moments where you realise why certain pairings just exist. They’re not forced. They just work.

Where That High End Flavour Comes From

I’ve been trying to pin this down for a while.

It’s not just fruit. It’s not just oak. It’s something that seems to sit behind everything else.

The common thread in the wines where I’ve noticed it is Cabernet Sauvignon.

That cassis core combined with a mineral edge and a long finish creates this feeling of depth. It’s not obvious, but once you notice it, you start spotting it everywhere.

What’s interesting is that I don’t get it in Rioja in the same way. Rioja has its own thing going on, more red fruit, leather, coconut from the oak. Brilliant in its own right, just different.

The Wine That Changed Everything

The first time I properly noticed this was with Tignanello.

That wine genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

The aroma jumped out of the glass. Not in a subtle way either, it properly greeted me. And the strangest part was what it reminded me of.

Hot Vimto at my nan’s when I was a child.

Sounds ridiculous, but it makes complete sense. That warm blackcurrant, slightly spiced aroma, just incredibly refined.

That’s the moment that sticks with you. Not just because the wine was good, but because it connected to something.

Not All Coonawarra Is the Same

What impressed me with the Wynns was the balance.

I’ve had another Coonawarra Cabernet before, just a supermarket one, and it was dominated by that eucalyptus note. Almost overpowering.

This didn’t have that at all.

It was controlled. More about the fruit, the structure, and that long finish.

It felt like a step up. Not just a different wine, but a better expression of what Coonawarra can do.

A Quick Word on Spice

Something I’ve realised recently is how misleading the word spice can be in wine.

When I first got into it, I avoided anything described as spicy. I was thinking chilli, curry, heat.

But it’s not that at all.

It’s more like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, softer, warmer, more refined.

That’s exactly what sat underneath the fruit in Tignanello. And once you recognise it, it adds another layer and complexity to everything you taste.

Where Next

This whole experience has pointed me in a direction.

Cabernet led wines clearly resonate with me. That cassis core, the structure, the length.

Next on the list is Château Léoville Barton and a Saint Joseph Syrah, just to explore something a bit different on the Rhône side.

If they deliver anything close to what I experienced tonight, we’re in for something special.

Final Thoughts

This is why I’m enjoying this journey so much.

You start off thinking wine is about flavours. Cherry, blackberry, vanilla.

Then suddenly you hit a point where it becomes about something else entirely. Structure, balance, how long a wine stays with you after you’ve swallowed it.

Tonight’s Wynns wasn’t just a good bottle.

It was another step in understanding what makes a wine feel high end.