Winemaker of the Year 2010 winners: Sue Hodder & Allen Jenkins, Wynns Coonawarra Estate
The close collaboration of winemaker and viticulturalist has ushered in a new philosophy in vineyard management that has led to further improvement in the quality of Wynn’s wines.
For more than 50 years, Wynns have been one of Coonawarra’s most significant wineries. Almost 60 per cent of the region’s famous terra rosa soil comes within its bailiwick and so it is important to Coonawarra that Wynns perform. They’ve never done better than they are at the present time.
A major factor in the improvement in the quality of the Wynns’ wines across the board has been the rejuvenation of its vineyards under the direction of Allen Jenkins since 2002. This has involved a complete rethink of the philosophy behind the way in which grapes are grown in the region. Two examples of this have been the use of scientific and technical data to monitor yields in the vineyard; and the use of drip irrigation to manage tannin production.
Treasury Wine Estates (formerly Foster’s Group) were convinced to make the huge investment in viticulture by Jenkins’s ability to provide clear data to back his plans and Sue Hodder’s persuasive argument that improvements in wine quality would be minimal without viticulture reforms. The scale of the vineyard rejuvenation was extraordinary: installing 800 hectares of drip irrigation; retrellising 450 hecatres and replanting vines on 95 hectares.
The need to embrace new technology and environmental concerns have influenced decision-making in the vineyard. The introduction of large-scale drip irrigation has resulted in the saving of 380 mega-litres of water annually. The lack of winter rainfall over the last six years has meant that the viticultural team sees composting as increasingly important for maintaining consistent moisture levels in the vineyard. The shallower sections are the most in need of compost. Using vigour maps to pinpoint these spots helps conserve compost: instead of providing blanket coverage for 25 hectares, targeting shallower areas enables composting of 60 hectares. Traditionally, the work of cutting off the cordons has been performed with a chainsaw and the tops of the vines are burnt. Jenkins challenged this notion as being environmentally unsound and the vines have been cut using a mini-excavator and composting chipper. This provided the viticultural team with 4000 cubic metres of compost for the vineyard.
Changes to winemaking practices at Wynns have been possible thanks to the completion of a new winery in time for the 2008 vintage. Having 24 small stainless-steel fermenters, ranging in size from two to 10 tonnes, enables the winemaking team to keep separate small parcels from key vineyards in a way that was just not possible before. Not only does this protect the highest quality lots but makes the production of a range of single-vineyard wines more possible. Access to better quality oak has also influenced the wine.
The collaboration of Hodder and Jenkins, has ushered in a time of change so that the flagship reds, John Riddoch Cabernet, Black Label Cabernet and Michael Shiraz, have taken on an air of elegance and finesse that has not previously been part of their profile.
A range of impressive single-vineyard reds – the best possible from each vintage – has become part of the portfolio. In different years, these have included Johnson’s Block, Messenger, Alex 88 (Alexanders vineyard planted in 1988), and now Glengyle. These are chosen to tell another part of the Coonawarra story. Consequently, they must be expressive of their site and stylistically different from Wynns historical Black Label (first vintage 1954) and its John Riddoch (first vintage 1982).
This year sees the first of an annual release of two distinctly different reds – the V&A Lane Shiraz and the V&A Lane Cabernet Shiraz. These have been sourced from four vineyards along V & A (Victoria & Albert) Lane in a locale which Huon Hooke describes as “the heart of Coonawarra; the sources of its most highly valued grapes”. Hodder describes these powerful wines as a “sub-regional exploration” that focus on fine tannin structure and purity of fruit.
She also says that Jenkins has that rare ability to combine practical science with artistic flair while noting that “he can be a bit pushy in his own quiet way”. She doesn’t like to be too flashy but in her reserved, yet determined way, allows her winemaking flair speak for itself.
The Wynns portfolio has been transformed by the recent collaboration of Sue Hodder and Allen Jenkins who are keen to share any credit with the talented teams with whom they work in the winery and vineyard. Wynns can once more proudly take its place among Coonawarra, and Australia’s, finest producers.
TEXT PETER FORRESTAL PHOTOGRAPHY WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE
This article is from the October/November issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.