With many of its vineyards now fully mature, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has emerged as one of the key regions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and Pinot Gris, if you must) outside of Burgundy. While best suited to varieties from the Burgundian family, a number of producers on the Peninsula have experimented and indeed persisted with varieties from further afield.
Gary Crittenden is an old timer when it comes to the grape growing on the Mornington Peninsula. As a peninsula pioneer, Crittenden played with a wide palette of grape varieties, among them Cabernet Sauvignon. To many, the notion of growing late-ripening Cabernet adjacent to Pinot Noir seems fanciful. One can only wonder how green and herbaceous Cabernet grown on the outskirts of Beaune would taste! But this is southern Australia, not cold continental France. Shiraz certainly ripens on certain sites on Mornington Peninsula (Paringa Estate, Paradigm Hill), so why not Cabernet Sauvignon?
2009 marked the death knell for Crittenden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (hence the ‘Les Adieux’) but it certainly went out on a high. It is a stylish, svelte cool climate Cabernet that displays excellent varietal character with no suggestion of herbaceous. While there is an a clear affinity between Mornignton Peninsula and Burgundian varieties, the swansong vintage of Crittenden Estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon is proof positive that warmer sites are perhaps better suited to varieties that enjoy a long growing season under southern skies.
2009 CRITTENDEN ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ‘LES ADIUEX’
Producer: Crittenden Estate
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 31 October 2014
Tasting Note:
Deep ruby in appearance. Attractive nose of cherry coulis/Morello cherry, cassis, licorice, cedar and smoky oak. Medium bodied, satin-like in texture. Sweet cherry/damson fruit up-front leading to crème de cassis on the mid-palate. Fine powdery tannins carry the finish which is long and fine.
Score: 16.5/20
Gary Crittenden is an old timer when it comes to the grape growing on the Mornington Peninsula. As a peninsula pioneer, Crittenden played with a wide palette of grape varieties, among them Cabernet Sauvignon. To many, the notion of growing late-ripening Cabernet adjacent to Pinot Noir seems fanciful. One can only wonder how green and herbaceous Cabernet grown on the outskirts of Beaune would taste! But this is southern Australia, not cold continental France. Shiraz certainly ripens on certain sites on Mornington Peninsula (Paringa Estate, Paradigm Hill), so why not Cabernet Sauvignon?
2009 marked the death knell for Crittenden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (hence the ‘Les Adieux’) but it certainly went out on a high. It is a stylish, svelte cool climate Cabernet that displays excellent varietal character with no suggestion of herbaceous. While there is an a clear affinity between Mornignton Peninsula and Burgundian varieties, the swansong vintage of Crittenden Estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon is proof positive that warmer sites are perhaps better suited to varieties that enjoy a long growing season under southern skies.
2009 CRITTENDEN ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ‘LES ADIUEX’Producer: Crittenden Estate
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon et al
Vintage: 2009
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $40.00
Date tasted: 31 October 2014
Tasting Note:
Deep ruby in appearance. Attractive nose of cherry coulis/Morello cherry, cassis, licorice, cedar and smoky oak. Medium bodied, satin-like in texture. Sweet cherry/damson fruit up-front leading to crème de cassis on the mid-palate. Fine powdery tannins carry the finish which is long and fine.
Score: 16.5/20
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