Redman Wines celebrate 50 years of Cabernet Sauvignon

To celebrate 50 years of Redman's Cabernet Sauvignon, two generations of Redman family members hosted a one-off vertical tasting at Melbourne’s Carlton Wine Room showcasing all 50 vintages. Guests had the rare opportunity to taste every vintage of this iconic wine from 1970 to 2021.

The 1970 was Owen Redman’s first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This first vintage matured in a single 1360L French oak vat and was hand bottled in magnum with the reluctant help of Owen’s then tweens – Malcolm and Bruce Redman. Bruce remembered telling his dad he thought the asking price of $8 per magnum for the 1970 was exorbitant and convinced him to give a free magnum to the first customer.

For a mature wine, the 1970 was still vibrant in colour, showed a lively core of stewed dark berry fruits and forest floor, had ripe, fine-grained tannins and a persistent finish.

Other standouts from the 1970s were 1971 and 1976, both matured in a portion of new French oak, punctuating the precise red-currant, black cherry fruit with a pleasing overlay of mocha.

Amongst the entire spread of wines, the oak expression was subtle and well-integrated, never dominant. The wines were characterised by their purity of Cabernet fruit from the Redman’s vineyards, all located in the heart of Coonawarra.

High-quality fruit – showing ripe tannins and flavours – was noticeable across the range of vintages. There were no significant astringent or unripe characters, rare for this late-ripening variety, especially from the more marginal vintages of Coonawarra. Flavour and tannin ripeness, regardless of vintage, was consistent.

The Cabernets were also consistently medium-bodied, featuring relatively low alcohol and high natural acidity. The 1977 was 11.1%, for example. Most wines were below 13%, and only a single vintage, 2008, came in at 15%. It was astonishing to taste such intensity and depth of flavour in such elegantly structured wines. The acidity (low pH) also contributed to the uniformity and vibrancy of the wine's colours, even in the very old examples.

After seeing the progression of 50-something years of Cabernet Sauvignon at this once-in-lifetime tasting, I am confident Redman is well-placed to reach many more milestones. Overall, the passion and commitment of the Redman family to consistently produce classic Cabernet Sauvignon capable of longevity was evident – both in the glass and from the Redmans themselves.

The full review of this tasting will feature in the spring edition of Drinks Trade Magazine available in September.