Our notes on the vertical tasting of the 4 vintages of the Waterford flagship red blend, The Jem, can be found after the first 3 photographs.
Max and Benj poring Kevin Arnold Shiraz
Kevin Arnold
Tasting 4 vintages of The Jem, Waterford's Flagship red blend
Kevin Arnold always uses grapes from the same varieties in this wine, but he uses different proportions of the component grapes in the blend each year to get the integrated style that he wants.
We started with the oldest wine, the 2004 vintage, first released in 2006, which we had sold in the shop. Herbal buchu and basil notes on the nose initially, with soft wood and truffle aromas, it has a deliciously tempting nose. The age of this wine shows well and it is a soft ‘drink me’ wine with nice integrated fruit, wood and soft tannins, dark liquorice, earthy rich truffles with slightly sharp fruit making it a good food wine. It should have a few years life in it; Kevin Arnold says it should last another 10 years, but you can definitely enjoy it now. About 65% comes from the 5 classic Bordeaux varieties, with the remainder being Shiraz, Mourvedre and Barbera.
Next the 2005 with its cedar pencil, red berry, raspberry and balsam nose, showing expensive wood and incense too. On the mouth it first shows soft, soft chalky tannins, then sweet boiled fruit. The fruit is rather concentrated, with a tarry end and therefore together with the tannins. It is beautifully balanced but will benefit from being kept for a few more years. It was made from 58% Cabernet sauvignon, 12% Shiraz, 11% Mourvedre, 7% each Malbec and Merlot, 3% Barbera and 2% Sangiovese.
The 2006 has a softer nose than the 2007 with violets, vanilla, mossy forest floor but is full of fruit, which predominates. On the palate it is a beautifully balanced full-on barrage of fruit and warm alcohol, lots of rhubarb and red cherries, raspberries and mulberries with a lovely cedarwood end. We think this needs a few more years to settle, when it will reward the keeper. Made from 60% Cabernet sauvignon, 15% Shiraz, 7.5% each Malbec and Cabernet franc, 5% Mourvedre and 2.5% each Sangiovese and Barbera.
The 2007 Jem is just that. A blockbuster nose full of vanilla, incense, it is herbal, has lead pencils, minerality and spice with lots of sweet berry fruits. On the mouth, fruit starts the journey with lots of red and black cherries, rhubarb, mulberries from the Malbec and then licorice, basil, lead pencils and chalky tannins. Buy some now if you can afford to and wait for this to shine. Components are as per the 2006.
Sadly there is no 2008 Jem because of an uneven harvest, but there will be a 2009, which Kevin says should be the best yet. We do look forward to tasting it.
Lynne and Michael Pownall, Taj GM
