The iconic Aussie drop has a new winemaker at the helm but drinkers shouldn't notice.
It's all change at the top of Australia's most popular wine brand. After 20 years working with Jacob's Creek, its chief winemaker Philip Laffer is stepping aside. But it's unlikely you'll taste this change, as his successor, Bernard Hickin has been with the company since the release of the label's first wine back in 1976. The consistency that has helped drive the brand's international success to date remains part of his vision for its future.
Much has happened in the two decades that Laffer's been the force behind the label. Australia's wine industry has moved from a time of boom to near bust, and some of the big Aussie brands have had their guts ripped out by big corporate owners cutting corners to satisfy a once seemingly unquenchable thirst for the country's crowd-pleasing quaffers.
This era saw Jacob's Creek grow its annual production from half a million cases to eight million and become a major brand for Pernod Ricard - the French multinational drinks group that bought it just before Laffer's arrival. However, it's been one of the names that's maintained its standards.
"In the past we struggled to satisfy demand," recalls Laffer. "But we managed to convince Pernod Ricard that it was important to manage quality and style and not just go for volume."
In this period, Jacob's Creek even went more upmarket, with the launch in 2000 of its Reserve range. Made from grapes sourced from the country's premium regions, these are a step up from its standard wines.
Then five years ago, the company undertook the somewhat risky move of bringing the top wines of its historic parent winery, Orlando, under the Jacob's Creek umbrella. Now classic cuvees such as the Johann, Centenary Hill, Reeves Point, Steingarten and St Hugo sport the Jacob's Creek livery alongside the brand's sub-$15 entry-level wines.
New chief winemaker Hickin vividly remembers his first taste of the inaugural Jacob's Creek wine, the 1973 shiraz cabernet malbec that was coincidentally released the year he joined Orlando.
"It was a new style, a red wine that was soft and approachable on release, but was still full-bodied," he notes. "Of course now more Australian wines are approachable on release, but at the time it was a new innovative idea."
Hickin went on to initiate innovation of his own for the brand, when as group winemaker for white and sparkling wines, he helped develop the Jacob's Creek's sparkling range in the late 90s. Instead of emulating champagne as was de rigueur at that time, Hickin produced something far fruitier and altogether more Australian.
With Hickin in line for the big job for some time, handing over the reins has been a gradual process, which combined with the fact he shares a similar winemaking philosophy to his predecessor, should mean Jacob's Creek drinkers shouldn't spot any difference in the style of the wines.
"There will be some evolution over time to meet the contemporary needs of the consumer," says Hickin, such as the addition of a tempranillo and pinot grigio to the Jacob's Creek range, "but there will be no dramatic changes with me at the helm. It's important to keep quality and style constant."
JACOB'S CRACKERS
CLASSIC CABERNET
Jacob's Creek St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $47.95
Named after Hugo Gramp, great-grandson of the company's founder who managed what was then known as G. Gramp & Sons before his untimely death in a major air disaster in 1938, this is a classic Coonawarra cabernet with dense but elegant sweet blackcurrant fruit, supported by savoury undertones and a fresh acidity. Drinking excellently now. (From fine wine retailers including First Glass and The Fine Wine Delivery Company.)
FRUITS OF THE STONE GARDEN
Jacob's Creek Steingarten Eden Valley Riesling 2007 $33.95
Lemons and limes abound in one of Australia's most respected rieslings. Made in a dry style, it's wonderfully zesty and intense, with a steely mineral core and the variety's characteristic toasty kerosene-like notes that come with age just starting to appear. (From fine wine retailers including First Glass and The Fine Wine Delivery Company.)
COOL STUFF
Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2008 $19.95
Jacob's Creek's standard chardonnay has been a dependable drop for decades, but this, its big sister, is a more elegant relation. Made from a higher proportion of high-quality cool climate fruit from regions such as the Adelaide Hills, it's creamy-textured with succulent peach and melon fruit underpinned by a gently toasty nutty character. Like the rest of the Reserve range, it offers great value for money. (From leading liquor retailers.)
