Corymbia white makes Wine Advocate Top 100 Discoveries List
Congratulations to Rob and Genevieve Mann of Corymbia! Aussie wine writer Mike Bennie said this would be “the next big thing” – and now it seems the Americans agree!
The Wine Advocate – the most influential wine magazine in the US – named the 2019 Corymbia Chenin Blanc in its Top 100 Wine Discoveries 2020.
Critic Joe Czerwinski admired the wine’s “fleshy, grainy texture” and “fine, silky finish”. “As it’s delicious now, why wait?” he asked. And why indeed!
The Chenin’s red sibling from the Swan Valley is the delicious 2018 Tempranillo / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon blend. And in breaking news, Ray Jordan picked this as his Tempranillo of the year – and the Chenin as his number 1, too – in his just-released West Australian Wine Guide 2021.
Top of the Corymbia tree is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Manns’ Calgardup Vineyard in Margaret River.
Rob and Gen are a dazzlingly brilliant duo whose Australian following swells by the day. It’s great to see them attract fans stateside, too. It’s time to see what the fuss is about if you haven’t already!
2019 Corymbia Chenin Blanc $32
It’s gently spiced with pepper and cinnamon quills. It’s floral with some fresh herbs, poached apple, bees wax and refreshing lemon barley water flavours. The palate is altogether racier, almost Riesling-like acidity keeping this long and pure with the right amount of phenolics adding that extra layer.
95 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
The 2019 Chenin Blanc includes 30% barrel-fermented fruit; the rest was made in stainless steel. Just six weeks after bottling, the blend offers bold passion fruit, pink grapefruit and peach aromas—which should all quickly mellow into something more like pear and melon. It’s plump and medium-bodied, with a fleshy, grainy texture on the mid-palate and a fine, silky finish. The 2018 was the first vintage, so there’s no real track record for how this wine will age. As it’s delicious now, why wait?
91 points. Joe Czwerwinski, Wine Advocate
2018 Corymbia Tempranillo / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon $43
This blend from the Mann vineyard in the Swan Valley was the first time I had seen this new name from one of the oldest families in the Swan Valley. It’s a cracker from this very good vintage. This is a style the Swan Valley should be making all the time. Smooth texture, soft and generous but not too big. Leave the biggies to other regions. Wonderfully expressive fruit, with the chalky tannin and neatly layered oak perfectly working in harmony. The juicy sarsaparilla of the Tempranillo is heightened by carbonic maceration.
96 points. Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2021
2019 Corymbia Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon $64
Nutty, charry, black olive, samphire, floral perfume, umeboshi plum and Deceptively pure, juicy and oh-so-easy to drink: essence of blackcurrant and fine, powdery tannins. Don’t be fooled, though: this also has enough depth and concentration for long-term cellaring.
Max Allen, Australian Financial Review