Heads up - best VP bargain - EVER

[707]

Hi guys, had a day in the Barossa showing Muscat Mike around and stumbled on a stunning VP bargain. High class, Gold Medal class IMO, very drinkable now (and we did joyously) but will age long term. It's a 1998 in half bottles, unlabelled, made by Australia's fortified master at Seppeltsfield.

The price for this stunning bargain is $60 per dozen halves, yes that's $5 per half of high quality VP.

Also available is the 2006 VP in 750ml, unlabelled but an equally stunning $80 per dozen, that's $6.66 per full. High quality again but a much younger wine of course.

We bought so much yesterday that it wouldn't fit in the car boot so we loaded up Muscat Mike's boot for delivery to Adelaide this evening.

The proceeds are going towards restarting the gravity winery at Seppeltsfield so you can feel very good about yourself whilst knocking off those halves on a winters night.

I you want some, e-mail Travis OÇallaghan at Seppeltsfield on Travis@seppeltsfield.com.au.

Don't miss out, this is the all time bargain.

[PaulG]

Any chance of this magical elixer being brought to tomorrow's offline for a taste?

[Scanlon]

yes . please bring!

[GRB]

Has anyone heard anything more about this wine, I emailed the guy about and week ago and haven't heard back. Anyone else got a reply yet?

Thanks

Glen

[chrisf]

I've emailed him too, no reply as yet...

[Red Bigot]

Has anyone heard anything more about this wine, I emailed the guy about and week ago and haven't heard back. Anyone else got a reply yet?

Thanks

Glen

Ditto.

[cuttlefish]

I emailed, got no reply, so rang and ordered a case. The girl who answered the phone knew the deal, so it doesn't appear to be "Top Secret".

[Michael McNally]

I also used the telephone, with remarkable success.

Thanks for the tip off Steve.

[Christo]

I emailed, got no reply, so rang and ordered a case. The girl who answered the phone knew the deal, so it doesn't appear to be "Top Secret".

number? what was deivery to sydney p/case?

cheers
c

[Christo]

I emailed, got no reply, so rang and ordered a case. The girl who answered the phone knew the deal, so it doesn't appear to be "Top Secret".

number? what was deivery to sydney p/case?

cheers
c

for anyone interested:Contact Mal Taylor..
Ph: +61 (0)8 8568 6217
delivery $13 p/case to sydney

bought 1x of each 98 & 06 for my father in law.. i'll sneek a btl of each to try as my comission.
c

[mf]

I received a call today with apologies today. Travis had been sick a couple of days in addition to being inundated with emails. I had already put an order in via phone call anyway - again don't think it is top secret as I dealt with a Nige. If people don't respond just best to call the winery generally. Postage for Melbourne (if relevant for anybody else here) was $11 a case (ordered 4 dozen of the 1998 and 1 case of 2006 - was ordering for a few others as well).

[bacchaebabe]

I ordered two cases of the 98 and one of the 06 yesterday and spoke with Nige too. He said the 98 had been held back for an aged release but what with the sale and everything, it's out the door unlabelled. It has however been entered in numerous shows and has won multiple trophies and golds and other colours. The 06 has won two golds to date. Nige said the 98 was one of the best VPs produced by the winery so it is certainly the bargain.

[Tim Smith]

Just working through my first bottle out of my case purchase.
First impression is that the wine looks so young and fresh for a 98. The spirit looks a little 'tailsy' (i.e in laymans terms this is lesser quality spirit )on the nose and the palate is probably on the sweeter side of what I would consider ideal for VP, even by Aussie standards. If you have tried Damien Tscharke's 04 Touriga VP or the 06 Kalleske Shiraz VP, they are both right on the money in terms of Baume/alcohol balance. Regardless, at $60/doz I dont think you'll find better value from any region in Austalia at the moment with this style. Safe to say this can be put away for at least another 10 years easily...
Anybody keen to add a more comprehensive TN?

[DaveB]

Just working through my first bottle out of my case purchase.
First impression is that the wine looks so young and fresh for a 98. The spirit looks a little 'tailsy' (i.e in laymans terms this is lesser quality spirit )on the nose and the palate is probably on the sweeter side of what I would consider ideal for VP, even by Aussie standards. If you have tried Damien Tscharke's 04 Touriga VP or the 06 Kalleske Shiraz VP, they are both right on the money in terms of Baume/alcohol balance. Regardless, at $60/doz I dont think you'll find better value from any region in Austalia at the moment with this style. Safe to say this can be put away for at least another 10 years easily...
Anybody keen to add a more comprehensive TN?

G'day Tim,

Agreed....big fan of Damiens Touriga VP....a cracker...likewise the Kalleske lads effort

I've got to bowl down to Seppeltsfield on Sunday so I'll pick up my case then

Cheers

Dave

[xsorxpire]

Just spoke to Mal.
I'm grabbing four cases...

Oh, he said another three to five years it will cellar for.

Cheers.

[Christo]

anyone tasted the 06' yet?

c

[n4sir]

I just got back from a quick day trip to the Barossa, and I'm staggered at just how cheap some top quality Vintage Ports are up there.

When I saw Peter Lehmann's 1998 "The King" VP for $15/bottle I thought there must have been some kind of mistake. It's won something like 7 gold medals on the national show circuit and a best fortified trophy at a recent Barossa wine show against some top opposition, and all its juicy, complex goodness is priced well under a red note for a full 750ml worth...

But even that's priced well above what's being sold at Seppeltsfield. They still have the previous bargain cleanskins mentioned at the beginning of the thread available (1998 VP halves for $60/dozen, 2006 VP 750ml for $80/dozen) and have added something else that borders on the insane:

Half bottles of the 1999 GR54 Fortified Shiraz/Touriga are now being flogged off for $30/dozen!!!

The powers that be have decided it's too much trouble to remove the old Seppelt labels, capsules and award stickers (including best fortified trophy at the 2004 Barossa Wine Show) and are selling the lot off for the equivalent of $2.50/bottle. The stuff is cheaper than water!

Cheers,
Ian

[orpheus]

Did you taste the 1999 port? What did you think?

[n4sir]

Did you taste these ports? What did you think?

I tasted the lot and would recommend all to Vintage Port lovers (didn't take any notes but the following are my impressions).

First up was the Peter Lehmann 1998 The King (750ml $15/bottle) at CD which is heady stuff, full of black liquorice, liniment and just a hint of bacon. After the first wallop it seems very refined and rather plush, the quality spirit dropping into the background behind the fruit - it's gorgeous now, but will easily improve and last another 10-20 years in a good cellar, possibly more. I was looking for a 1998 Barossa VP to match up to my McLaren Vale & Rutherglen wines and this fitted the bill perfectly.

After asking them about why it was so cheaply priced, I then asked whether if what was going on at Seppeltsfield was any factor (referring to the previous cleanskins) - they then dropped the bombshell that a previous customer had told them they were now selling VPs as cheaply as $2/bottle (not quite right, but close enough), so logically the the next stop was Seppeltsfield:

At the CD they kindly presented a mini-vertical of their VPs that was available for sale - the major thing that struck me was the consistency when taking into account the difference between some vintages:

2006 Cleanskin Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 750ml (screwcap) $80/dozen: What I've written before about this wine sums it up - very young and fruity, full of black liquorice and earth and rich, blackberry fruit. At the moment you could virtually drink it as a dinner wine with something rich like Osso Buco or slow-cooked lamb shanks with rosemary & a red wine/tomato reduction. It will last close to a lifetime under that screwcap too.

2001 Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 375ml (cork) $20/bottle: The labeled version at full cost looked a lot better than at a previous tasting, earthy with a core of sweetly scrubbed berries and minty spirit and black liquorice. Still slightly in the shadow of the others, a little in between phases, but it's mainly because of the price difference.

1998 Cleanskin Fortified Shiraz Touriga Cabernet, 375ml (cork) $60/dozen: The cabernet component is more obvious in a mini-vertical like this, and this time I liked the difference - it had been opened about 20 hours earlier, and had more ash/tobacco and sous bois and less minty/herbal characters than at previous tastings. That said, there's still the thunderous liquorice, earth and spirit of a good VP. I thought $5/bottle was getting ridiculous for this kind of quality...

1999 Seppelt GR54 Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 375ml (cork) $30/dozen: A little more developed/less fruity and earthier than the 2001 vintage, about the same stage as the 1998 but without the herbal/ashen cabernet and with additional black liquorice characters, maybe a fraction shorter but that's nit-picking. $2.50/bottle is just crazy.

1987 Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Fortified Touriga, 750ml (cork) $45/bottle: (I think this was the old GR124 under the original Seppelt label when it was first released years ago) Another twelve years on and it's softer, richer and more complex, just a hint of wood polish on the bouquet and a slight nuttiness on the palate too. Great stuff, and will hold this form for quite a few more years yet.

Cheers,
Ian

Edit: 1987 Seppelt GR number & grammar.

[chillwrx]

Did you taste these ports? What did you think?

I tasted the lot and would recommend all to Vintage Port lovers (didn't take any notes but the following are my impressions).

First up was the Peter Lehmann 1998 The King (750ml $15/bottle) at CD which is heady stuff, full of black liquorice, liniment and just a hint of bacon. After the first wallop it seems very refined and rather plush, the quality spirit dropping into the background behind the fruit - it's gorgeous now, but will easily improve and last another 10-20 years in a good cellar, possibly more. I was looking for a 1998 Barossa VP to match up to my McLaren Vale & Rutherglen wines and this fitted the bill perfectly.

After asking them about why it was so cheaply priced, I then asked whether if what was going on at Seppeltsfield was any factor (referring to the previous cleanskins) - they then dropped the bombshell that a previous customer had told them they were now selling VPs as cheaply as $2/bottle (not quite right, but close enough), so logically the the next stop was Seppeltsfield:

At the CD they kindly presented a mini-vertical of their VPs that was available for sale - the major thing that struck me was the consistency when taking into account the difference between some vintages:

2006 Cleanskin Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 750ml (screwcap) $80/dozen: What I've written before about this wine sums it up - very young and fruity, full of black liquorice and earth and rich, blackberry fruit. At the moment you could virtually drink it as a dinner wine with something rich like Osso Buco or slow-cooked lamb shanks with rosemary & a red wine/tomato reduction. It will last close to a lifetime under that screwcap too.

2001 Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 375ml (cork) $20/bottle: The labeled version at full cost looked a lot better than at a previous tasting, earthy with a core of sweetly scrubbed berries and minty spirit and black liquorice. Still slightly in the shadow of the others, a little in between phases, but it's mainly because of the price difference.

1998 Cleanskin Fortified Shiraz Touriga Cabernet, 375ml (cork) $60/dozen: The cabernet component is more obvious in a mini-vertical like this, and this time I liked the difference - it had been opened about 20 hours earlier, and had more ash/tobacco and sous bois and less minty/herbal characters than at previous tastings. That said, there's still the thunderous liquorice, earth and spirit of a good VP. I thought $5/bottle was getting ridiculous for this kind of quality...

1999 Seppelt GR54 Fortified Shiraz Touriga, 375ml (cork) $30/dozen: A little more developed/less fruity and earthier than the 2001 vintage, about the same stage as the 1998 but without the herbal/ashen cabernet and with additional black liquorice characters, maybe a fraction shorter but that's nit-picking. $2.50/bottle is just crazy.

1987 Seppeltsfield Show Vintage Fortified Touriga, 750ml (cork) $45/bottle: (I think this was the old GR127 under the original Seppelt label when it was first released years ago) Another twelve years on and it's softer, richer and more complex, just a hint of wood polish on the bouquet and a slightly nuttiness on the palate too. Great stuff, and will hold this form for quite a few more years yet.

Cheers,
Ian

Thanks Ian - Just ordered a heap of the 99 and 98. I have still got a few of the 95 GR? that I ma drinking along with the chateau reynella 16yr old tawny which is another bargain.....

[orpheus]

Thanks, N4sir, for those excellent notes. I bought a dozen of each of the 1998, 1999, and 2006 on the strength of them. Impossible to go wrong with any of them at that price.

[Teisto]

Hi Everyone - long time reader of this forum - just haven't been too keen to jump in. A scary wealth of knowledge and wine collections amongst some of you here!

Bought a case of the 98 a couple of weeks ago and was readily devoured by a group of 16 on a blokes weekend away!

Could certainly spot the age difference when we opened a Pigg's Peak 2008 VP. Looking forward to picking up some of the other VP's on offer from them.

[via collins]

Teisto,

You may have just solved the marketing dilemma that Oz stickies have suffered.

Cases of VP on blokes bonding weekends is a massive market - the new Bundy & coke??

and welcome aboard. This board is as friendly and helpful as they get.

[Teisto]

Thanks VC.

It might be an untapped market. I mean groups get stubby holders made, there could be a new demand for port sippers?

A little more gentrified than the old Bundy and Coke.

Cheers

[Mattwine]

Thanks again for the second heads up Ian! I missed this post the first time around and am thankful for the second go. Sounds like they are being kept busy by this thread...

Matt.

[Michael McNally]

It might be an untapped market. I mean groups get stubby holders made, there could be a new demand for port sippers?

I haven't thought of port sippers for a while (a decade or two!). Thanks for the flashback!

Cheers

Michael

[daver6]

Speaking of port sippers...

Ive always wondered where the idea behind them came from. Anyone able to shed any light on this?

thanks

david

[Michael McNally]

Speaking of port sippers...

Ive always wondered where the idea behind them came from. Anyone able to shed any light on this?

thanks

david

I was told they were designed to put the port "straight on the palate", but that person was a smart-a#&e. He might have been right though. Knowing what I know now about a wine breathing etc. I am not sure I would use one.

And I hated the way they were so easy to knock over. Don't think I'll ever get them again myself, but I have done much stranger things.

Cheers

Michael

[Muscat Mike]

Thanks VC.

It might be an untapped market. I mean groups get stubby holders made, there could be a new demand for port sippers?

A little more gentrified than the old Bundy and Coke.

Cheers

I reckon these blokes are more likely to drink the VP straight from the bottle than a Port Sipper.
Mike.

[n4sir]

Thanks VC.

It might be an untapped market. I mean groups get stubby holders made, there could be a new demand for port sippers?

The scary thing is the half bottles are already pretty good fit already for your average soft foam stubby holder

I remember James Godfrey talking about one hot summer afternoon when they had a group up there drinking shot glasses of Fino from bottles chilled in ice buckets. Maybe what Seppeltsfield really needs is a marketing campaign aimed breaking some new ground - maybe pouring some on a big white bear and setting it on fire? Then again, that would be a waste of good wine.