Wendouree is among Australia’s most sought after wines. This mythical Clare Valley estate has no website, no cellar door and they rarely answer the phone but do sometimes respond to letters.
The first vineyards were planted back in 1892/3 by the Birks family so we’re talking some seriously old vines here. The Birks’ owned the estate until 1974 when Tony & Lita Brady acquired it. Since then they have transformed the estate into a revolutionary yet classically Clare Valley institution. Roly Birks stayed on as winemaker until 1980.
Alfred Percy Birks ‘AP Birks’ and his brothers started planting in 1892 with a 0.2Ha block of Cabernet Sauvignon and then subsequent Birks generations planted a raft of different varieties; Shiraz in 1911 and more Cabernet in 1971, eventually ending up with 50Ha of vines in total.
95 Points Gary Walsh
Cedar oak shows its hand very clearly this vintage, so much so, almost Grange-like, and yet, there’s a compelling dried red fruit intensity that gets me past that. Mint, gum nuts, lemon myrtle and liquorice, a fair dusting of pepper, mocha and poached strawberry. And while tannin has a bark-like grip, or maybe peanut skin dryness, I reckon succulence of fruit wins the day here. Something of a ferrous quality, and quiet old vine power, a tacky wet paint quality to it, and while it’s overtly minty and regional in a way, I find it so engaging, and unique. Quality wine, and so old school.