The Auswine Forum

I'm Brett and so is my wife

Hi David Likewise a name I've never encountered before. The address is a business address in Sydney (just over the harbour bridge to the north of the city). Whilst there is a wine operation currently using that as a registered address, it's an Italian wine and food importer. My suspicion is it was a...

WineRick wrote: ↑Thu May 02, 2024 6:58 pm There must be something in the water in LC because the other great VFM label is Lake Breeze.

Indeed I recall one of the peculiarities of the region, was regular winter flooding of the vineyards.

As Sam the site owner is not a retailer, it's probably allowable now to mention a retailer. Paul Kaan of Wine Decoded in Melbourne (he ships) is on top of the Piedmont market and has email offers on all the Langhe nebbiolos that are decent and commercially available. They stock antoniolo who I rate...

A rare recent case purchase landed last week Rosso Frizzante 'Ienide' Franchina e Giarone 2020 Lambrusco di Sorbara 'Del Fondatore' Rifermentato in bottiglia Cleto Chiarli 2022 Timorasso 'Francesca' Vigne Marina Coppi 2020 Timorasso 'Rugiada del mattino' I Carpini 2021 (this one already drunk - rath...

Looking at Wine searcher in Aus shows a healthy 141 matches for langhe nebbiolo. Safe bet - Produttori del Barbaresco. For me, not the value they used to be, but still a safe bet for the quality. Useful if also getting a Barolo based langhe nebbiolo, as this might show a subtle contrast. Mini-barolo...

Hi Pippo Langhe nebbiolo is a superb place to start, as there are plenty of very good ones, and some superb value as well. As distribution won't be as wide as in Italy or the rest of Europe, it might be useful to shout out what you've got access to and we can suggest good options. They're often read...

I used to love the Frank Potts blend, for it having decent complexity on release, but also cellaring well. A brilliant each-way bet.

I've not seen any in a while though (it used to be an Oddbins stalwart until they f*cked themselves over)

There have been a few instances of Burg prices dropping this year, and one big name (was it drouhin) openly calling for price drops. Thankfully it's not a region I'm particularly into, and what I bought was still reasonably priced. Who buys it? a mixture of enthusiasts, speculators and those seeking...

2012 Mauro Franchino Gattinara.It has lovely balance, very true to the grape, and IMO with a trad approach in the winery, also true to the region.

FWIW the company name at the bottom of the label also says Ch d'Ampuis, so it might be as simple as a subtle tweak to the branding when they moved their HQ there.

Are there more mineral wines than Greek Assyrtiko ? Really seems to soak up the sea and the stone. I think I have lamented before that one of my favourite wines - a fantastic Assyrtico/Semillon blend - is not imported into Greeces 3rd city. Shame. I was wondering whether you get a larger selection,...

Good choice of theme.

I've enjoyed some burgs / pinot noir, and also had a genuine "wow!" moment with a 1969 Domaine Jaboulet-Vercherre Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes, resulting in a Burg loving friend questioning his whole approach to ageing wine from his favourite region. Beyond that the closest amongs...

Agreed

p.s. I believe it's CCP. CCCP is the old acronym for the now defunct Soviet Union.

Maybe we'll see the return of the cleanskin, as a way of disposing of surplus without openly trashing the brand?

Currently they still own Hardy’s, Grant Burge, Banrock Station, St Hallett, Petaluma, Yarra Burn, Reynella, Leasingham, Rolf Binder, Houghton, Brookland Valley, Croser, Katnook Estate, Goundrey and Moondah Brook. Anyone still drinking the wines? I still have a couple of bottles each of Houghton's H...

It's rarely good news in that game of 'pass the parcel'. If there are assets to be stripped, or corners to be cut, they will be. What's in the bottle will be less and less cared about.

The industry will survive, even if I expect most of these brands to be in their death spiral.

Started reading The Australian Ark - up to 1860s today so matched my bookworming with this piece of Australian wine history 2017 Best's Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz - from the Concongella vineyard from 1866 - really liked the medium bodiness of this - along with some aniseed hints. Last night was rea...

Absolutely Sean!

Lovely to see these notes - many thanks for writing and sharing them. Musar is on of the earliest wines on my wine drinking journey, with ~ 1987/8 being my first encounter, and it was also the first wine I ever laid down for later drinking. A friendship was made when I walked into a local Norwich wi...

Much as I might argue I very much don't like McLaren Vale, I remain a fan of Primo Estate. My favourite Sparkling red and a superb Aussie amarone (moda). I'd love to try their other bottlings using grapes that originated in Italy. I reckon I'd enjoy most of them. Their Nebbiolo a few years back was...

My unpopular wine opinion is that wine takes a lot more effort and preparation compared to a can of Jim beam, lol. Riffing on that - preparing a restaurant quality dish takes a lot more effort and preparation than opening a bottle of wine... so whilst I absolutely have no issue with a 3x markup on ...

Fortifieds are often superb, but have become rather unfashionable - along with sweet/dessert wines, which can themselves be utterly stunning. Hunter semillon certainly a pain to get hold of in the UK - always has been :cry: . I'd love to try Seppelts' Drumborg riesling, which I've never seen over he...

It's good the 4 Aussies were there. Such tastings are often aided by having a familiar reference point, though of those, the Petaluma is the only one I've tasted, and that maybe 2 decades ago!

Nice one - thanks for that Sean. Yes sounds like still with a slightly earlier maturing profile than say Tyrrells, but probably thriving under screwcap.

vintage variation is minimal in margaret river, but I'd say the 2018 is the best of those three, with many proclaiming it the best-ever vintage in MR. I recall 2-3 years where it was grim in some of the South Aussie regions, yet Marg River sailed through the vintage with no concerns. I've not follo...

vintage variation is minimal in margaret river, but I'd say the 2018 is the best of those three, with many proclaiming it the best-ever vintage in MR. I recall 2-3 years where it was grim in some of the South Aussie regions, yet Marg River sailed through the vintage with no concerns. I've not follo...

Will be interested in what you make of the Margan / where the style is these days. The 2000 vintage I tasted was rather forward / soft for a Hunter Semillon (and the other bottle corked - back from the days when cork was the death of these wines).