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Wyndham Estate New Releases, 2010

I've long been a fan of Wyndham. Spurred on by a televisual encounter with perhaps his best-known work, The Day of the Triffids (1951), which I should make clear was the gripping 1981 serialisation produced by the BBC and not that awful 1962 flick starring Howard Keel of all people, I was soon discovering the rest of Wyndham's canon. His many novels including iconic titles such as The Kraken Wakes (1951), The Chrysalids (1955) and Trouble with Lichen (1960) today continue to languish in the shadow of Triffids, despite being no less entertaining and in terms of concept in some cases decidedly more intricate. Perhaps only The Midwich Cuckoos (1957) can rival Triffids in terms of notoriety, having also been adapted for the big screen twice (although I confess I have not seen either version).

I would have enjoyed arguing some fabulous connection between British author John Wyndham (1903-1969) and George Wyndham (1801-1870), the Wiltshire farmer who, having become disillusioned with political policy in Great Britain, emigrated to Australia with his wife in 1827. Sadly I know that this can never be, as John Wyndham was nothing more than a pseudonym, a simple abbreviation of his full name which was in fact John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (not too catchy on the cover of a paperback I suppose). The son of a fierce barrister named George Beynon Harris, the author was no more likely to be descended from the intrepid adventurer who had set sail for Sydney a century beforehand than you or I (unless your name is Wyndham, of course, in which case you're still in with a chance).

Having landed in Sydney George Wyndham settled near Branxton in the Hunter Valley, planting crops and settling in his livestock. On the newly christened Dalwood Estate he planted, alongside his maize, wheat, mustard and millet, a small vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines were soon bearing fruit, and the vineyards were expanded until his estate was the second largest in all New South Wales. Despite the difficult economic conditions the vines and the Wyndham family prospered, and there was still active viticulture and winemaking on the Dalwood Estate at the time of Wyndham's death on Christmas Eve, 1870. Subsequently acquired by Penfolds Wines Ltd, many of Wyndham's original vines were still said to be bearing fruit as recently as the 1960s.

The Wyndham of today has not had a smooth descent from those original vines; its origins lie in a chunk of the Dalwood Estate sold off by Penfolds in 1968 and which was purchased by Brian McGuigan. After 20 years at the helm Brian then sold this property to Pernod Ricard, and it remains in their ownership today. Nevertheless, just as John Wyndham's novels are iconic within the science fiction genre (even if they are disparaged by some as 'cosy catastrophes'), so too are George Wyndham and the Dalwood Estate within the history of Australian wine. And to commemorate his achievements, Pernod Ricard have recently released under the Wyndham Estate label a Founder's Reserve range of wines.

Sadly these wines are not, however, sourced from Wyndham's Dalwood Estate. Today the Wyndham label is little more than a wine brand, and these new wines in fact make use of fruit from a wide variety of sources, including the Hunter Valley and the Limestone Coast. So yes, these are branded wines. And as we might expect they are certainly wines made to a recipe; the fruit which comes from far and wide is inoculated with a "neutral strain" of yeast, fermented in a mix of static and rotator fermenters, some aliquots kept cool, some allowed to warm up a little, then into a mix of French and American oak for up to 18 months, all culminating in a tasting and final blending, led by chief winemaker Nigel Dolan.

I recently had the opportunity to taste through the current Wyndham range, and bearing all the above in mind I kicked off with Wyndham's entry level Bin 555, which was severely lacking in positive features, before moving onto the more interesting Founder's Reserve and Black Cluster labels. (13/5/10)

Wyndham Estate New Releases, 2010 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in May 2010. Click for stockists.

Wyndham Estate Bin 555 Shiraz (South Eastern Australia) 2007: Select use of American and French oak here, bottled under screwcap. A dark, matt core leading out to a more vibrant cherry-raspberry rim. The nose is certainly very expressive, with smoky confit-style fruit, very much in the dark berry spectrum, with elements of blueberry and blackberry, sprinkled with cinnamon. It's fresh, although at the edge there is a little element of sweet, chalky, parma violet confection which detracts. The palate is very soft, lacking any definition at the start, and it stays that way across the entire palate. There is plenty of sweet and dark fruit throughout, with a plummy edge, and some decent texture as well as spicy and lightly chewy grip, but what it is missing is vibrancy, definition, a frame within which the fruit can sit. It lacks balance and tangible acidity, and as a result it sits in a very flabby fashion on the palate. Oh dear. 12.5/20

Wyndham Estate Founder's Reserve Shiraz Grenache (McLaren Vale/Barossa Valley) 2006: Fifteen months in American oak, bottled under screwcap. Dark and slightly more glossy appearance here. Dark fruit on the nose too, bright and sweet berry fruit, roasted strawberries, swirled with a charcoaly layer of oak and seasoned with a seam of high-toned rose petals. The palate has a very creamy feel at the start, again showing a union of spicy berry and plum fruit, with plenty of powerful charcoal and notes of roses, underpinned by grippy tannin and spice, and a rather hard and woody seam underneath it all. Depth, pepper, hot spice and power here, with attractively ripe and velvety tannins at the core, which show very nicely in the finish. Like the 555 it is certainly deficient in tangible acidity again, but there are some other nice attributes here. 14/20

Wyndham Estate Founder's Reserve Shiraz (South Australia) 2005: Sixteen months in French and American oak, bottled under screwcap. A rich and ripe hue, very dark at the core but with a black cherry rim. The nose is gorgeous, full of smoky fruit, a combination of plum and black cherries swirled with charcoal. Beautifully textured on entry, bright with creamed plum fruit backed up by a firm layer of grainy but ripe tannins. Well structured, composed, there being more than simple sweet fruit here; there is some backbone from the tannins, and a savoury smoked edge. Really quite creamy and rich, but there is a better sense of balance here, with some vital and bright acidity, and the fruit is delicious. Firm, grainy finish and good length. Drink now, or cellar with confidence. 16/20

Wyndham Estate Founder's Reserve Shiraz Cabernet (Limestone Coast) 2006: Fifteen months in French oak, bottled under screwcap. This has the darkest hue so far, and a greater and purer style of fruit on the nose. Still ripe and bright, but with a more crunchy style also apparent, more perfumed, with tinges of cranberry, violets and sweet plum. The palate starts off with a very svelte and lightly creamed texture, then firming up in the middle, the fruit tightening up and the rich tannic core showing more freely. Lots of grip here, grainy and firm, giving plenty of good backbone, but also nicely balanced and appropriate acidity too. Bright, composed, sweet violets, substantial and with mouth-puckering tannins in the finish. Very good indeed. 16.5+/20

Wyndham Estate Black Cluster Shiraz (Hunter Valley) 2003: Eighteen months in American oak, bottled under cork, and named for George Wyndham's first harvest when he picked the "black cluster". A really dark hue in the glass, and still - despite its age - a blue-purple rim. On the nose the fruit has a plum, blackberry and blueberry character, with plenty of smoke and a slightly furry toffee edge relating to the oak. Lots of texture on entry, lots of ripe fruit, lots of structure too, with ripe gripping tannins and fresh acidity. It has freshness, and touches of raspberry and cranberry fruit here. A nice supple style, but lots of length where the ripe tannins dominate, and good acids. This has a good potential, but I would recommend leaving this well alone in the cellar for some time; current drinking would be difficult with that diffuse, chewy-toffee character so prominent. 16+?/20