The Auswine Forum

Bought a couple of bottles for $110 from a local supermarket a few years ago. The first one we drank was good, the second one a couple of years later was stunning. I’d say it’s $500 at auction in NZ now. Champagne seems to be doing very well

Back in Sept last year I auctioned off 2 bottles of 1996 Penfolds Bin 389. They hammered for NZ$360 each which I thought was crazy. So I sent 2 more bottles for auction. They sold tonight for NZ$700 each. Speechless, I just cannot believe it. The world has gone completely f**king crazy. Brodie I bo...

Thanks Gavin I was one of the very early posters on edition 1 before I even had kids. My “kids” are now 23. Great info, and I was never shy of a bit of banter or wind up myself I haven’t posted much if at all over the last few years, as my palate has moved more towards Europe and New Zealand and the...

I have nothing against anyone making a Top XXX list from their own subjective views, but once you put it as part of the marketing scheme to get people to pay money for your views and to get wineries to send you their wine in return for the rights to put your sticker on their bottles, your certifica...

cleanskinlover wrote:Looks to be a very rich ripe year.

Yes. I decided to shop left bank only

I've ordered some Pontet Canet and some Leoville Barton. Both are only a tiny fraction above what I paid for the 2005 versions EP Relativities with local wines are now way better so... I ordered one magnum just because I think it would be cool to collect when it arrives and it's obviously a rarer fo...

En Prem is a candy store for wine buyers. Those glossy labels, those eloquent reviews, so tasty, so tempting I have only bought En Prem in 2005 and 2015. Aside from 2015 Canon I don't think I saved much money over the years I just bought immediately on retail release. Some 2009's and 2010's I bought...

But folks, they have a genuine "proprietary algorithm" to determine "certificate recipients" "If you've received a Top Wineries Certificate, congratulations! Learn more about our promotional tools and make the most of your awards." Says it all doesn't it... Probably a ...

The first year this Top Wineries of NZ list was put out I absolutely slated it on social media. Part of the issue was quite a number of totally "missing" big names. Part of it was the high number of brand new wineries, that had only a couple of wines reviewed, that ranked highly on the lis...

Thanks everyone
I ended up drinking a 2004 Rockford BP instead

That was surprisingly disappointing. I really enjoyed the last one I had, this one not so

How is it looking?

I have an unopened 6 pack, and I am kinda tempted

TIA

brodie wrote:By category:


Kiwi: 2014 Bell Hill Pinot Noir: Considered overrated by many but wow such complexity and depth from a NZ pinot.

Brodie

The 2006 was amazing. I tried the 2014 and 2015 this year and was underwhelmed

After working on a sorting table a few times at harvest, I think technically vegan wine does not exist. The may not use milk or egg products in the fining process, but there are plenty of bees, spiders, cockroaches, you name it that make it into a ferment even in a hand harvested and heavily sorted ...

Buy more pinot
Buy less syrah
Save for 2019's

Mahmoud Ali wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:I have done couple of verticals in my life of 10 years.

I would have guessed you were older than that. Are the drinking laws in NZ that lenient?

excuse my poor forum grammar

Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 begs to differ "One swallow does not a summer make" as the old saying goes. I haven't opened my solitary bottle yet, so informed personal comment pending... tbh, Rockford RR is the only other Barossa cab that I would put on my list, so yes, not a lot of swallows ...

Not familiar with all of those wines, but the Turkey Flat sounds good

mjs wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:Barossa should give up on Cabernet. It is appalling (how is that for a sweeping provocation)

Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 begs to differ

"One swallow does not a summer make" as the old saying goes.

I haven't opened my solitary bottle yet, so informed personal comment pending...

Sam, Seppelts Dorien Cabernet from the Barossa is a lovely wine. I see a few come up at auction from time to time. Cheers Craig Oh good call. I was given a bottle of the 1999 for Xmas in 2004 and drank it for xmas 10 years later in 2014 and I remember it as very good. Hardly ever saw it around. Any...

One issue with verticals is when tasters spit all your beautiful and hard collected wine into a bucket. Rockford SVS, Hill of Grace and many of the other treasured favourites . I tend not to share “personally” special wines anymore - far better experiences with family and friends! Yeah I have done ...

HOG is only available for tasting on the $250 tour and tasting. I've tried HOG many times before, so with 4 of us touring we had better use for $1000 Fair enough you've tried it. But the tour and tasting is amazing for those who haven't. I'd done ad hoc private tours a number of times as a Henschke...

Craig, I am perhaps a little less cynical than phillisc, yes there are some expensive wines in the Barossa, but places like Torbreck, Ringland, Henschke, Penfolds, Powell & Sons are producing high quality booze. Whether you think they are value for money is up to you, I'm not rushing out to pla...

Barossa should give up on Cabernet. It is appalling (how is that for a sweeping provocation)

I didn't taste the top Saltram's wines. I've tried them all before and didn't feel like paying $30 for a splash of 4 wines. I do like the No 1, and tried 8th maker before which is called something else now that slips my mind. Also that day I was driving so had to pace myself Tried the 2016 Mamre Shi...

Craig, In your Barossa report you mention having visited Rockford and include the 2012 Black Shiraz in your list of wines that impressed you. I assume the BP didn't make the cut so which vintage did you taste? Or were they between vintages, the '15 being sold out and the '16 yet to be released. Mah...

Shame re Stonyridge as the 2014 Larose is one of the best ever vintages in my opinion. I remember going to a VIP party about 3 or 4 years ago where you could drink yourself into the gutter with 14 Larose...and I did. There has been a change of General Management recently after the previous was there...

Word on the street in the Barossa from some very close, is that the 2016 is the lightest BP ever made but perhaps the best? I guess it will be dependant on what style you are looking for...

Just passing on what I heard. Thoughts are it will be controversial

Back from a quick visit, where we did 10 wineries and 3 breweries in two days It's been over 21 years and I am not sure how much has really changed. My palate has moved on from the traditional over blown Barossa wines so I was genuinely wondering how many wines I would enjoy. I was pleasantly surpri...

I think simply put there are better places these days for tasting notes, vivino etc

Craig(NZ) wrote:I predict that sometime in the near future all bad wines will be rated 99/100 and all good wines 100/100

I still feel pretty safe on this one