July 2020 Purchases

[sjw_11]

Domaine Daniel Bouland - Côte de Brouilly - Cuvée Mélanie 2016 x 6

[I Love Shiraz]

Just ordered 6 x Serrat Shiraz Viognier 2019.

[WAwineguy]

Rocky what did you think of the Woodlands lineup?

Hacker, I have been buying from Woodlands annually for past 10 years. Arguably the best winery and producer in Margaret River IMO. Their flagship CS, Margaret and Chardonnay are faultless.

They now have a nice seating tasting arrangement and option to buy cheeses to complement tasting.

Real down to earth and quality outfit.

Regards

Woodlands cabernet is the best in MR IMHO. And I love my MR cabernets!

[Hacker]

Woodlands cabernet is the best in MR IMHO. And I love my MR cabernets!

I am on your team. Just finished a 2016 Cab Merlot and it really was the goods. I will be loading up on the 2018's when they appear.

Question: is the 'Emily' a major step up from their regular Cab Franc version? Because the regular to my palate is bloody good.

[Willard]

Some of these probably from June as well, selection of tasters and a couple for the cellar.

1 x 2019 Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris
2 x 2018 Arfion Savagnin
1 x 2018 Schmolzer and Brown Indigo Sangiovese
1 x 2017 Montesecondo Chianti Classico
1 x 2019 Somos Cab Franc
1 x 2018 Garagiste Le Stagiaire Pinot Noir
1 x 2019 Paralian Grenache
1 x 2018 Pannell Smart Grenache
1 x 2018 Tissot Patchwork Chardonnay
1 x 2017 Domaine des Rouges-Queues Bourgogne
1 x 2017 Domaine des Rouges-Queues Maranges Vigne Blanche
1 x 2017 Domaine des Rouges-Queues Maranges En Buliet
1 x 2017 Domaine des Rouges-Queues Maranges 1er Clos Roussots

Will

[Rocky]

Woodlands cabernet is the best in MR IMHO. And I love my MR cabernets!

I am on your team. Just finished a 2016 Cab Merlot and it really was the goods. I will be loading up on the 2018's when they appear.

Question: is the 'Emily' a major step up from their regular Cab Franc version? Because the regular to my palate is bloody good.

Hacker
I had a 2012 Emily recently against a 2017?. It’s a wine that needs at least 5-7 years to mellow - 2012 excellent, 2017 a little raw. I place it above the cab merlot and just below the Margaret. At the price point it worth a buy but needs to be put away for a rest.

[kenzo]

Regarding the Woodlands cabernet wines - are the "named" wines the top of the range? And there is a cheaper wine in the hierarchy? I'm a bit confused by their lineup, but would like to try them.

[cuttlefish]

Regarding the Woodlands cabernet wines - are the "named" wines the top of the range? And there is a cheaper wine in the hierarchy? I'm a bit confused by their lineup, but would like to try them.

Hi Kenzo,

Woodlands use a bunch of names on their different wines, but you are essentially correct that their most premium offerings carry names (like Shelley-Anne, Russell, Benjamin, Thomas, etc). With their top Cabernet, the name changes each year. They have a wine called Margaret, which is a cab. dominant blend made every year, plus a regularly made Red blend "Clementine" plus their premium "Chloe" chardonnay is made every year, and the "Emily" fits in there somewhere, too. Below these they have what I would refer to as their "Wilyabrup" range, which are entry level "estate " wines. In addition to all of these are a bunch of premium single-varietal releases that are not all made every year. I'm unsure if these are named after people, or just the grape variety (cabernet franc, malbec, pinot noir, etc)

[kenzo]

Thanks Cuttlefish - that's what I kind of figured, however it didn't help that their regular bottlings also had people's names.
Big variation in pricing for back vintages it seems. I'll take another look.

[JamieBahrain]

Bought 5 x Mt Mary Quintet 2010 magnums for my wine group. On sale for a great price.

Satisfies a buying urge whilst in a personal COVID buying hiatus. Also feels nice to support Australia a bit with all the carry on up this way of late.

[phillisc]

Bought 5 x Mt Mary Quintet 2010 magnums for my wine group. On sale for a great price.

Satisfies a buying urge whilst in a personal COVID buying hiatus. Also feels nice to support Australia a bit with all the carry on up this way of late.

Hurts when I read...for a good price...ex winery if you can get them $300+ second hand market, who knows probably more. Have a good run of 90-00, but might be time to get on the MM train again.
Cheers Craig

[JamieBahrain]

Maybe I'll import Mt Mary to Australia .

[phillisc]

Maybe I'll import Mt Mary to Australia .

No chance of you spotting me a couple of Mags for the price you paid, I suppose?
Would even be happy to pay the freight.

Cheers Craig

[mychurch]

1 * 2018 Echezaux Grivot
1 * 2018 Richebourg, Grivot
1 * 2018 Clos St Jacques, Rousseau
1 * 2018 Clos St Jacques, Bruno Clair
1 * 2018 Clos de Beze, Rousseau
1 * 2018 Clos de Beze, Bruno Clair

Pretty certain that this will be the last year for red Burgs. Rousseau CbB is now over $1k a bottle. Silly money - I just found out about a Rose made with 108 different Grape types, which will probably interest me as much for about $27. Still, I’d rather have a few great bottles that lots of nice ones.

[Ian S]

Still, I’d rather have a few great bottles that lots of nice ones.

Finding our personal balance in that is really important on our journey.

I used to focus a little too much on the prestige (albeit rarely the super-prestige).

This used to be so evident on trips to Italy, where the limitation on baggage weight meant I might return with ~ 6 bottles. Was that to be Barolo and Barbaresco only, or with some interesting yet cheaper wines? No it was always the heavy hitters.

Maybe a decade ago, and perhaps strongly influenced by a driving holiday to Piemonte and back, I noticed how much I started enjoying decent but not overly fancy wines. I realised I'd focused too much on certain areas I knew and liked, but my cellar was a little too heavily focused on these. I've since really enjoyed surfing an interest in more humble wines, that have often delivered real joy.

So the balance of the cellar is changing (hasn't that always been true). There are still a small few wines that are top-end enough that I doubt I would buy them at today's prices (or at least what the secondary market prices them at). They'll be enjoyed (I hope), but I'm enjoying the greater range of my current drinking.

[mychurch]

Ian

I agree with the sentiment. I’m more interested now in a good producers entry level wine than their top and actually judge them on that.

What I really don’t want any more is a full case of 12 of anything. Ok, maybe I’ll take a 6-pack, but even then that’s normally because I want to split it with someone.

Wierd thing about the burgs is that at heart I really am a white wine drinker and when I do go ‘red’, it tends to be Cabernet. Still I have tried a few top burgs in my time and they can be magnificent. I remember not thinking a lot of the 93 Rousseau Le Chambertin (that was about 7 years ago) but I’d appreciate it a lot more now.

[rosewaterwrx]

3 x Frankland Estate Alter Weg Riesling 2019
3 x Sorrenberg Sem Sauv 2019
3 x Dr Loosen Wehlener Kabinett 2019
3 x Vanguardist MVG 2018
3 x Vanguardist MVG 2019
2 x Dappled Appellation Chardonnay 2019
2 x Dappled Appellation Pinot Noir 2019
2 x Matthieu Barret Petit Syrah 2016
2 x Paralian Grenache 2019
3 x Hoddles estate Pinot Noir 2019
1 x Mt Mary Refelxions Cab Franc 2017
2 x Crawford River Rose 2019
1 x 2018 Vincent Paris Saint-Joseph les Côtes
1 x 2016 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto
3 x 2019 Paralian Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

[Ian S]

What I really don’t want any more is a full case of 12 of anything. Ok, maybe I’ll take a 6-pack, but even then that’s normally because I want to split it with someone.

Agreed. When I used to play the auction scene, if there was a good price on a full case, then yes I would bid. Biggest lot of the same wine I ever got was 23 bottles of 1998 Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco. I put in what I thought was a low-ball bid of (IIRC) £180, but it ended up going for ~ £100 (about £120 with buyers premium). A stupid bargain and the wines were brilliant. However having that many of it made me quite blasé - to the point that I did beef in Barolo (sic.) using all but a glassful in the pot. I guess I was treating it like a £5 wine, rather than a £20-£25 wine.

There are one or two wines I'll happily buy in half-case quantities e.g. Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone, Te Mata Elston, San Patrignano Avi, but on the whole it's 1s 2s and 3s, but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer.

[JamieBahrain]

If you are going to get the bargains retail or auction, often larger numbers of bottles required. Should be easy to offload if bargains.

Even today, have a BBR delivery from a low ball 2004 Barbaresco bid and victory. That said, rare to find great Barbaresco from lesser producers of the era. Cantina del Pino an exception of course-lineage and a fastidious attitude and a terrible shame he passed so early.

[Mike Hawkins]

What I really don’t want any more is a full case of 12 of anything. Ok, maybe I’ll take a 6-pack, but even then that’s normally because I want to split it with someone.

Agreed. When I used to play the auction scene, if there was a good price on a full case, then yes I would bid. Biggest lot of the same wine I ever got was 23 bottles of 1998 Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco. I put in what I thought was a low-ball bid of (IIRC) £180, but it ended up going for ~ £100 (about £120 with buyers premium). A stupid bargain and the wines were brilliant. However having that many of it made me quite blasé - to the point that I did beef in Barolo (sic.) using all but a glassful in the pot. I guess I was treating it like a £5 wine, rather than a £20-£25 wine.

There are one or two wines I'll happily buy in half-case quantities e.g. Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone, Te Mata Elston, San Patrignano Avi, but on the whole it's 1s 2s and 3s, but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer.

I’m the exact opposite. If it’s a wine I adore and a great vintage, I’ll buy multiple 12 bottle cases. This might mean I have one bottle every 6 months for 24 years, so complacency doesn’t really set in... I’m still excited to open them and see their evolution.

For the great wines, no one ever says ‘I wish I had less’.

[mychurch]

What I really don’t want any more is a full case of 12 of anything. Ok, maybe I’ll take a 6-pack, but even then that’s normally because I want to split it with someone.

Agreed. When I used to play the auction scene, if there was a good price on a full case, then yes I would bid. Biggest lot of the same wine I ever got was 23 bottles of 1998 Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco. I put in what I thought was a low-ball bid of (IIRC) £180, but it ended up going for ~ £100 (about £120 with buyers premium). A stupid bargain and the wines were brilliant. However having that many of it made me quite blasé - to the point that I did beef in Barolo (sic.) using all but a glassful in the pot. I guess I was treating it like a £5 wine, rather than a £20-£25 wine.

There are one or two wines I'll happily buy in half-case quantities e.g. Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone, Te Mata Elston, San Patrignano Avi, but on the whole it's 1s 2s and 3s, but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer.

I’m the exact opposite. If it’s a wine I adore and a great vintage, I’ll buy multiple 12 bottle cases. This might mean I have one bottle every 6 months for 24 years, so complacency doesn’t really set in... I’m still excited to open them and see their evolution.

For the great wines, no one ever says ‘I wish I had less’.

Love you enthusiasm Mike.

I have bought 24 bottle lots before - Clarendon Hills Semillon for under 5 Euro comes to mind - and do remember struggling to get through them. Happy now with 4 - 1 to drink, and 3 to try over the next few years.

[Mike Hawkins]

Or my impetuosity.... that said, there’s a release later this year where if I can afford and/or source 48 bottles, I will be definitely buy. I’ve dumped some wines on Langton’s to get some financial ammunition!

[phillisc]

What I really don’t want any more is a full case of 12 of anything. Ok, maybe I’ll take a 6-pack, but even then that’s normally because I want to split it with someone.

Agreed. When I used to play the auction scene, if there was a good price on a full case, then yes I would bid. Biggest lot of the same wine I ever got was 23 bottles of 1998 Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco. I put in what I thought was a low-ball bid of (IIRC) £180, but it ended up going for ~ £100 (about £120 with buyers premium). A stupid bargain and the wines were brilliant. However having that many of it made me quite blasé - to the point that I did beef in Barolo (sic.) using all but a glassful in the pot. I guess I was treating it like a £5 wine, rather than a £20-£25 wine.

There are one or two wines I'll happily buy in half-case quantities e.g. Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone, Te Mata Elston, San Patrignano Avi, but on the whole it's 1s 2s and 3s, but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer.

I’m the exact opposite. If it’s a wine I adore and a great vintage, I’ll buy multiple 12 bottle cases. This might mean I have one bottle every 6 months for 24 years, so complacency doesn’t really set in... I’m still excited to open them and see their evolution.

For the great wines, no one ever says ‘I wish I had less’.

+1 Money unfortunately largely dictates what I do now, but buying habits over 30+ years have largely seen 12 of quite a few and mostly 6 of everything else. So many wines where 12 was not nearly enough. '82 Wynns BL should have been a 10 case buy, not 2!!!

On the few 'essential' 2018 releases hopefully they will all be decent volumes, and short of being cryovaced, should see me out. Appreciate your style Mike, with the drinking window being bi-annual for 2 decades, I go with nothing for the first decade and then a bottle every year or so thereafter, to reach a similar end point.
Cheers Craig

[JamieBahrain]

Or my impetuosity.... that said, there’s a release later this year where if I can afford and/or source 48 bottles, I will be definitely buy. I’ve dumped some wines on Langton’s to get some financial ammunition!

Good for you Mike. Always loved your unashamed journey in buying heaps of what you like. Envious when you are still pulling out great wines I once had in smaller numbers.

Veteran drinkers probably don't always need tips from others' on preferences for cellaring. Maybe we should have Slavonian riesling or Cal zinfandel in our cellars to meet the modern day diversity dished up in so many articles or blogs. But you can get them easy anyways- so I'll just hoard what I love. Just bought Chiara Boschis Barolo 2016's breaking my present buying hiatus.

[phillisc]

A case each of the three 2018 Marius releases.
Thank you Roger, these wines will always be special due to being able to help out with the 2018 vintage.

Cheers Craig

[Scotty vino]

2 X 2016 Mount Horrocks Nero d'Avola
2 X 2014 Mount Horrocks WV Riesling
1 X 2019 Mount Horrocks Sémillon
2 X 2017 Mount Horrocks WV Riesling
1 X 2019 Mount Horrocks Sémillon
1 X 2018 Mount Horrocks Alexander Vineyard Shiraz

2 X 2016 Claymore Black Magic Woman Cabernet Sauvignon
couple of current vintage WV rizz consumed whilst in CV.

2 X 2017 Jeanneret Cabernet Malbec
2 X 2018 Jeanneret Rank and File Shiraz

2 X 2017 Kilikanoon Baudinet GSM
1 X 2017 Kilikanoon Pearce Road Sémillon

1 X 2016 Penna Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
2 X 2019 Penna Lane Riesling
2 X 2010 Penna Lane Sémillon
1 X 2016 Penna Lane Shiraz

1 X 2019 Pikes Traditionale Riesling
1 X 2019 Pikes The Damside Chardonnay
1 X 2017 Pikes Homage Cabernet Malbec

6 X Tim Adams (on the way).
2 current Shiraz and 2 rizz.
2 x 2012 Reserve Cab Mal.

Clare valley has changed a fraction. Lots of paid strutured tastings yet some still opting for the old school roll up and shine.
Went to shut the gate which was an amazing little space. Planned on getting some gear but it got super busy and the bike rental shed was calling. Tried to get into Pauletts unbooked but that was going to be a squeeze as it was very busy . next time. best view in CV for mine.
Pikes was great. spent more time indulging in the sunshine and cranking the grub than tasting vino. Their new space and restaurant surprised me. Very swish indeed and lots of folk rolling in. Tried for Adelina's but closed for 2020. dang it was my number 1 target.
Thought i might skip acorss the road and tap on the wendouree door. Nah leave em for now.

Back up in late september for 3 days. Unfinished business.
Gotta get me another cornish pasty from the little red grape bakery.

[Mike Hawkins]

Thanks gents. Online auctions are the buffer if I go too long in something I don’t end up liking. It’s easy to sell unwanted wines these days.. certainly beats having to go into Customs House in Sydney for the old Langton’s auctions.

At the end of the day, I get some people like diversity. Having tried most wines of repute, I’ve worked out what I like. I have my 30 or 40 favourite labels that I’m happy to consume most of the time (plus there are multiple vintages to choose from). That said, winery visits are always illuminating, especially some of the young men and women making wine

[Mahmoud Ali]

Agreed. When I used to play the auction scene, if there was a good price on a full case, then yes I would bid. Biggest lot of the same wine I ever got was 23 bottles of 1998 Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco. I put in what I thought was a low-ball bid of (IIRC) £180, but it ended up going for ~ £100 (about £120 with buyers premium). A stupid bargain and the wines were brilliant. However having that many of it made me quite blasé - to the point that I did beef in Barolo (sic.) using all but a glassful in the pot. I guess I was treating it like a £5 wine, rather than a £20-£25 wine.

There are one or two wines I'll happily buy in half-case quantities e.g. Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone, Te Mata Elston, San Patrignano Avi, but on the whole it's 1s 2s and 3s, but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer.

"... but then I've always been a bit of a butterfly buyer."

Butterfly buyer - first time I've heard this term and it fits me to a tee. I was like that when I used to take wines to parties, going into the wine shop with a rough budget and almost never buying the same bottle. All I knew at the time was that a vintage wine was supposed to be better than a non-vintage.

One year the government was going to increase taxes on alcoholic drinks and I was determined to buy a dozen wines in order to save a bit of coin. I also thought it might be a good idea to double my budget so I walked into the fine wine section of the big downtown government store only to find myself completely overwhelmed. What appeared to me the same wine would have widely differing prices: the same looking Bordeaux label had different prices but I knew nothing of vintages variation, like 1980 vs 1982, and the identical looking German wine, even the same vintage, also had different prices but I knew nothing of kabinet, spatlese, auslese, and beerenausle, all in smaller print, as well as all manner of different wines had me flummoxed. What to do, what to do. So I went to the library and borrowed some books on wine. That opened the door to the wide, wide world of wine, and that was the start of the journey.

Reading about all the wine regions, the varietals, and how they aged, it seemed apparent that I needed to explore them all. Bordeaux was the easiest, Chateaux reputation and vintage was all one needed (and they were plentiful). Burgundy was the most confusing,in addition to the vintage, there were all the different villages, the different crus, and, to make it hellish, there could be a half dozen or more wine from the same cru. Of course I had to have some Rioja, Barolo, Chianti, German Riesling, Napa, etc., etc. Needless to say it wasn't a stretch to include what Australan wines were on the scene (Tahbilk and Taltarni). The books also alerted me to the fact that even modest wines had a role to play in the cellar of a wine lover. Basically it set the stage for me to look at all wines with an open mind. I was "butterflying" right from the start and it has been that way since then.

Needless to say, what with such a broad buying strategy I used to buy in two and threes, sometimes more if they were reasonable. I always bought more than I drank and so the collection kept getting bigger and bigger. In the last few years I haven't needed to buy any more wines unless they are keenly priced, often flat out bargains. And like you Ian, when they are available in quantity, I get blasé. A few years ago some Lanson Champagne became available for all of C$10 a bottle, literally "a stupid bargain", and I was able to hoover up about 3 cases of them. I became very casual with them, giving away bottles to dinner guests and taking them to house parties. The same thing occurred with a Priorat and a Napa Cabernet, among others. However, when it comes to the last five or six bottles, I tend to hold back and put them away in the cellar.

Mahmoud.

[Matt@5453]

2 X 2016 Mount Horrocks Nero d'Avola
2 X 2014 Mount Horrocks WV Riesling
1 X 2019 Mount Horrocks Sémillon
2 X 2017 Mount Horrocks WV Riesling
1 X 2019 Mount Horrocks Sémillon
1 X 2018 Mount Horrocks Alexander Vineyard Shiraz

2 X 2016 Claymore Black Magic Woman Cabernet Sauvignon
couple of current vintage WV rizz consumed whilst in CV.

2 X 2017 Jeanneret Cabernet Malbec
2 X 2018 Jeanneret Rank and File Shiraz

2 X 2017 Kilikanoon Baudinet GSM
1 X 2017 Kilikanoon Pearce Road Sémillon

1 X 2016 Penna Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
2 X 2019 Penna Lane Riesling
2 X 2010 Penna Lane Sémillon
1 X 2016 Penna Lane Shiraz

1 X 2019 Pikes Traditionale Riesling
1 X 2019 Pikes The Damside Chardonnay
1 X 2017 Pikes Homage Cabernet Malbec

6 X Tim Adams (on the way).
2 current Shiraz and 2 rizz.
2 x 2012 Reserve Cab Mal.

Clare valley has changed a fraction. Lots of paid strutured tastings yet some still opting for the old school roll up and shine.
Went to shut the gate which was an amazing little space. Planned on getting some gear but it got super busy and the bike rental shed was calling. Tried to get into Pauletts unbooked but that was going to be a squeeze as it was very busy . next time. best view in CV for mine.
Pikes was great. spent more time indulging in the sunshine and cranking the grub than tasting vino. Their new space and restaurant surprised me. Very swish indeed and lots of folk rolling in. Tried for Adelina's but closed for 2020. dang it was my number 1 target.
Thought i might skip acorss the road and tap on the wendouree door. Nah leave em for now.

Back up in late September for 3 days. Unfinished business.
Gotta get me another cornish pasty from the little red grape bakery.

Great little write up Scotty, I'm a bit biased but a great spot for a few days - given COVID & interstate travel restrictions the weekends have been very busy. The sit down tastings are a legacy of the COVID restrictions that the SA Government and SAWIA put in place to keep cellar doors open; I don't mind this approach though, seems to be working well for the wineries. I have not been to Paulett's recently (every time I try to get in its booked out) but the new tasting offering is getting some great reviews.

Jeanneret's new(ish) deck area is great in the warmer weather/months. A wood fired pizza a glass of Rizza or one of their beers is nice up there. Its generally one of the places I take visitors who are new to the region. The reds are a bit too 'full throttle' for mine, but great spot nonetheless.

Shut the Gate has been popular for a couple of years now since they moved from their Watervale location - its always busy. I think the best wine they make is a Chardonnay out of Tumbarumba...certainly up there with Sevenhill as one of the popular cellar door destinations.

Pikes as you said, is great. The site improvements really compliment what they are doing, and the wines across the board are top notch. I recently had lunch there and matching wine flight - for the price was well worth it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Took a while to sober up, very generous pours for a lunch sitting!

There is a little Cellar Door in the Main Street of Clare called Matriarch and Rogue owned and run by Marnie Roberts, she is doing some good things with her wines and looking at alternative varieties too. Tends to be open later in the day too and serves well for a pre-dinner drink, she is very hospitable. O'leary Walker have upped their food offerings and has been very good every time I have been there, worth a look too. Tim Adams are also doing a very good wine and cheese flight option, I like this location as its easy to peel off the Riesling Trail on the bike

[Ian S]

Enjoying reading lots of the lists and comments this month