Had the opportunity to open a set of Petaluma Coonawarra's recently.
5/10/20 year old vintages - 2012, 2006 and 1998. As well as a 2002 Moss Wood to compare Coonawarra to MR...
Petaluma Coonawarra 1998: This has an amazingly nose - cassis, smoke-y oak, dusty earth, leather, mint and graphite. It changes character from hour to hour. Absolutely amazing. The palate is smooth, and light, the finish exhibiting similar notes to the nose. Medium length. Just lovely. CT93
Petaluma Coonawarra 2006: Opened alongside the '98 and '12. Whilst the 1998 was amazing, it was royalty on a throne for years, whereas the '06 seemed like the young heir, at the cusp of grasping the crown. Robust fruit on the nose - with the Shiraz and Malbec making their contributions, but the underlying secondary flavours are coming through. The whole thing presents a wonderful balance on the palate, which you can just tell is going to be great in another 10 years, where the '98 is today. CT92
Petaluma Coonawarra 2012: Whilst this is good, with Blackberry, mint, drying tannins, and some Shiraz to complement the young Cabernet, this is exposed as painfully young. The bones are there, and the wine is perfectly fine on its own, but the other stellar vintages show how this could turn out in another 10-15 years. Hold if you can.
Moss Wood Cabernet 2002: Wonderful drinking this Margaret River institution. Compared to the '98 Petaluma Coonawarra, this seemed much younger: bright dark fruit, subtle oak, smooth tannins. The fruit was still much more 'front and centre', yet it was superbly balanced, with the secondary flavours manifesting on the palate across the finish, leading to mocha and pencil shavings. Very long finish, much longer than the Petaluma. Both were superb drinking. This can easily last another 15 years. CT93
Overall, a good night!