Winemaker Sam Watkins has been in the game long enough to know that more than 90 per cent of wines are consumed within a couple of days of being purchased.<\/p>\n
Which is why smart wineries try to release bigger styles of Australian reds, such as cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, several years after vintage to give them time to soften.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that pesky little business necessity called cashflow often gets in the way of wineries\u2019 best intentions and many wines, especially at lower price points, are released sooner than ideal, leaving wine buyers to cellar the wines themselves for a few years or take their chances and dive straight in.<\/p>\n
With our latest dozen deal of the week, The Australian Wine Club<\/a> has played the waiting game for you, releasing four aged reds in the prime of their lives for only $25.99 a bottle each.<\/p>\n Leading the offer is the Watkins Heritage Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, now a silky, soft wine that Watkins says needed \u201ctaming\u201d in its youth before being released.<\/p>\n Along with this seven-year-old cabernet from the Adelaide Hills comes a 12-year-old tempranillo from Rioja that normally sells for $50 a bottle; a nine-year-old Italian sangiovese; and an eight-year-old cool-climate shiraz (syrah) from the Yarra Valley.<\/p>\n Watkins, who has been making wine from his family\u2019s vineyards in the Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek for 11 years, says the Heritage Collection cabernet comes from 60-year-old vines growing at Clarendon on the border of the Hills and McLaren Vale.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be one of the warmer spots in the Adelaide Hills and those wines are very powerful when they are young and they need some ageing,\u2019\u2019 he says. \u201cWe like to give them a fair bit of time in oak taming the beast.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2017 spent 24 months in French and American oak, with aged barrels mainly being used to ensure the fruit flavours were retained as the wine aged and softened.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wines from that vineyard tend to have great depth of flavour like McLaren Vale reds but with an elegance as well,\u2019\u2019 Watkins says.<\/p>\n Watkins\u2019 parents, David and Ros, began the family\u2019s wine adventure in the 1990s, planting vineyards and owning wineries with Warren Randall, a former award-winning Seppelt winemaker who has become one of the biggest private owners of vineyards in Australia.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t until 2020 \u2013 as the Covid pandemic hit \u2013 that the family decided to release their own brand, with their family name on the labels.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many wine brands, so people look for something edgy or funky when creating something new,\u2019\u2019 Watkins says.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we have had much family involvement in wine and have our own vineyards and the biggest winery in the Adelaide Hills, we have positioned ourselves as being part of a new wave of traditional family winemakers.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to make a bloody good drop at a good price and build a brand people can depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Poise, power and elegance. Concentrated, ripe fruit flavours of cassis and black currant, with hints of licorice, carried on silky tannins. Mouth-filling yet soft. Fruit is still very fresh given its age. Perfect alignment of fruit, acidity and tannins. Extraordinary value. 93 points from James Suckling; 95 from Ken Gargett. 14.5 per cent alc; RRP $50 a bottle.<\/p>\n SPECIALS: $44.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in aged reds dozen.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n From a boutique vineyard free of chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides comes this layered, fruit-rich syrah (or cool-climate shiraz), offering mulberry and plum flavours from a warmer vintage than usual. Medium to full-bodied. Good acid and fine tannins keep the boat moving smoothly. High-quality boutique wine. Double Gold, Melbourne International Wine Show. 14.5 per cent alc. RRP $35 a bottle.<\/p>\n SPECIALS: $26.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 in aged reds dozen.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hand-picked tempranillo from vines between 50 and 60 years old. Subtle aromas of ripe blue to black bramble, cherry, woody spice and licorice lift from the glass after 30 minutes of decanting. Savoury flavours of cedar and tobacco mingle with black fruits. Soft acid drives to a lingering finish. 14.5 per cent alc; RRP $50 a bottle.<\/p>\n SPECIALS: $44.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 a bottle in aged reds dozen.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Sangiovese-dominant blend from the Montefalco subregion of Umbria in central Italy. Mature, savoury aromas lead to flavours of black fruits, dusty cherry, licorice and sage. Complex, with firm tannins and classic Italian acidity. Open early and enjoy with beef ragu. 92 points from James Suckling. 14 per cent alc; RRP $38 a bottle.<\/p>\n SPECIALS: $28.99 a bottle in any dozen; $25.99 in aged reds dozen.<\/a><\/p>\n AGED REDS DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $25.99 a bottle. SAVE $207 a dozen.<\/a><\/p>\n Order by simply clicking the links to our online store<\/a> or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club<\/a> on this offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The post With nearly half a century between them, these four aged reds are a ready-made bargain<\/a> appeared first on Stockhead<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watkins Heritage Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017<\/a><\/h2>\n
Allinda Limited Release Yarra Valley Syrah 2016<\/a><\/h2>\n
Pagos de Tahola Gran Reserva Rioja 2012<\/a><\/h2>\n
Colpetrone Montefalco Rosso 2015<\/a><\/h2>\n