H.C. Collison Cabernet Sauvignon 1985
By Christian Eedes, 15 March 2024
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Wines under the H.C. Collison label were made by Die Bergkelder, Henry Collison & Sons being St James’s wine merchants in London, owned by the Oude Meester group, the holding company for late business mogul Anton Rupert’s liquor wholesale interests.
The 1985 carries a gold-backed “Superior” seal, the official grading issued by the Wine & Spirit Board that applied until 1990 but the 1992 edition of Platter’s pronounces the 1985 as “average, beginning to show slightly weaker vintage, particularly on nose”. More generally, it describes wines under this label as “generally good value claret” but “not as complex, concentrated as Stellenryk, Fleur du Cap stablemates”.
A recent bottle proved excellent drinking. Red and black berries, potpourri, tobacco plus hints of mushroom, earth and spice on the nose. Very little tertiary character such as overt undergrowth or maltiness. The palate still has great fruit integrity – sweet in the best sense, succulent and fresh, the tannins now mellow and offering no sense of astringency. A classy drop which must have been going through a bit of a dip back in 1992!
CE’s rating: 95/100.
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Darryl | 18 March 2024
My local appliance store had some random wine bottles as part of their fridge display. After inquiring where they had come from I was told they were from the store owners old wine collection and was offered a bottle with my purchase. Decided to take one out of interest but haven’t opened it yet. The label rang a bell and after checking it is this exact vintage! Doubt the storage conditions have been anywhere near optimal but look forward to potentially being surprised.
Hanna | 16 March 2024
What a surprise to see the H.C. Collison label on Winemag! Unlike the other commenters I have no memories of drinking this wine decades ago, but I did enjoy the 1983 vintage with my spaghetti bolognaise last night after reading the review. Christian’s description of the 85’s palate pretty much mirrors my experience of the ’83 although I wouldn’t have put it on my 95-point list if I had one.
During a recent move two 1983 250 ml bottles under screw cap surfaced, their origin a complete mystery. (Christian, I assume yours was a regular bottle with a cork closure?) I never considered looking for H.C. Collison in the Platter’s guides and have come close to chucking them – now I’ll be keeping the second one for a cold winter’s evening. The 1983 vintage is mentioned in Platter’s in 1988 and 1989 – it gets 3½ stars and is described as ‘excellent for year, nicely wooded, holding its age well’.
The 1982 vintage was a clear Platter’s favourite, earning 4 stars in 1986, the wine’s first appearance in the guide (1981 was the first vintage). The only other vintage to be given 4 stars was the 1987 in 1995 – in 1994 it was rated 3½ stars though. This seems to have been the last vintage as there are no further references to the wine in later editions.
Interestingly, the first mention of the 1985, in the 1990 edition, is quite positive: ‘Good cabernet base, berry flavours lifted by the oak, quite firm tannins and length. Above average cabernet from a so-so cabernet year.’ By 1991 the taster has changed his mind, calling the wine ‘average, beginning to show slightly weaker vintage, particularly on nose’, as in 1992, and by 1993 it merits only ‘showing weaker vintage’ although still ‘fair value’. The 1982 has now also been downgraded to 3½ stars.
Carl Nicholson | 15 March 2024
Thanks for the memories, that was a very lekker wine in those days, so good I have none left. Great value .
John Maytham | 15 March 2024
Indeed. I drank an ’83 Roodeberg recently, and was greatly impressed by its charm and vitality.
Kwispedoor | 15 March 2024
Well, if you’re not tasting blind and you know it’s an entry-level label (and price) from a weak vintage, your own mind will probably prevent you from exalted scoring. I remember this wine and drank it several times during my student years in the nineties. It was indeed not on the Stellenryck Cab level at the time, but we all felt that it offered great value for money.
It’s interesting how, when enough time has passed, certain lauded (usually warm) South African vintages lose charm, while so-called lesser (usually lighter) vintages gain charm.