The Auswine Forum

The 98 is full of big blue oak, and big blue fruit. In its style, it's a really good wine - you just have to like oak. Not a quality consideration - a style consideration.

CM.

1999 is as good as any of them, until you get to 2004, 2005 and 2006, which are a clear step up. 1997 and 2000 are the relatively poor ones. In terms of quality, there isn't much separating 1998, 1999 or 2002.

Campbell.

They're great fun wines. The Giant Steps Pink Moscato is good. Stella Bella made one for a while too - not sure if it's still in their range. Moscato is a boom waiting to happen.

Campbell.

Yes, this is true. No guide this year. Re-launch next year.

Next year it will be a change of author too - Nick Stock is doing it, flying solo.

I think you vastly - vastly - underestimate how much work that guide would be.

Campbell.

It took a long time, but it's finally gone.

Details at: http://www.winefront.com.au/news-blogs-contributions/

[quote="platinum"][quote="Winefront Monthly"][quote="n4sir"] If by "cases", Grange is actually 7000 x 12 bottles, making it more like 84,000 bottles .. still, again, as Australia's only "First Growth", they're still not necessarily big numbers. .[/qu...

[quote="n4sir"] They kept the bottles out of sight so I didn't see the numbers. I asked how much Grange was made for the 2002 vintage and we were told it was 7000 cases, which is about 42,000 bottles, give or take for the large formats, etc. Cheers, Ian[/quote] I would argue that 42,000 bo...

I shared a bottle of 2007 Charles Melton Rose of Virginia a couple of weeks back when I was (briefly) in Adelaide. A Barossa rose, picked, made, bottled and drank before the end of March.



Campbell.

Smithy,

I've never done a wine show and never will - but you won't have any trouble finding willing and able judges for this event.

Campbell.

[/quote] Despite 35+ years experience in drinking and often enjoying big reds I don't hold any aspirations as a judge, I'll be happy to be a steward with tasting privileges on this one. [/quote] I reckon Brian could judge as well as anyone. Ric too for that matter. Both arguably could judge better t...

Very sad news.

http://www.winefront.com.au/

Campbell.

Graeme,

As far as I know it's a family holiday except for one gig: as a judge at the Hunter Wine Show. Bit of a coup for the Hunter in a way.

Campbell.

I just reviewed all the Magpie Estate wines and wrote a little piece - great range I reckon. I'll be buying some.

The reviews (unfortunately available to subscribers only) are at:

http://www.winefront.com.au/magpie-esta ... s-it-mark/

Campbell.


www.winefront.com.au

halliday's latest warrabilla scores are: parola's LR shiraz 05: 94 reserve durif 05: 94 parola's LR cab 05: 93 reserve shiraz 05: 92 reserve durif 04: 91 reserve cabernet 05: 89 in terms of north-east producers, I notice that Battely is also now ranked as a 5-star producer. in terms of (slightly) un...

I've taken a brief, measured shot at it, and also included a link to the full media release - so you can see Foster's take on it, void of the media's hands.

http://www.winefront.com.au/news-blogs-contributions/

Campbell.

I apologise. I will be quiet in future.

Campbell.

I always recognise my own words.

Not that I'm giving anything away.

Campbell.

Can I take a guess?



Campbell.

I haven't found the photograph but I have found out that the "event" did place ... Schubert did visit O'Shea's grave, which if you're of a certain bent is a delicious fact. Also, while I'm here, thought I'd make mention of a wine promotion that I reckon is pretty nifty. It's at: m Campbell.

Thanks for the vote of confidence folks - I'm at the point where I'm throwing caution to the wind and putting as much into winefront as I can, the threat of financial ruin now on the line ... well, you know ... it's time for winefront to get serious. In that context, your endorsement strikes deep. I...

I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I have it in my mind that I have seen, sometime or other, a photograph of Max Schubert - creator of Penfolds Grange - standing at the Sydney grave site of Maurice O'Shea. I can picture this photo quite clearly in my mind, but in trying to find it I can't locate i...

I haven't OKed this with Gavin but as a long-time contributor to this forum, I suspect that he wouldn't mind - if he does, I'll remove this post immediately (or pull my head in, or whetever). But after 4 years of producing Winefront Monthly I've recently changed it to The Wine Front and also changed...

I could be wrong but I think that he is updating it. When he accepted the Wine Communicator Award a few weeks back he rattled off a list of 3 or 4 books that he was working on, all due for release during this year. My recollection is that this book was one of them ... but my eyes started to glaze ov...

TORB, Most wine comes in poly and none of that ever breaks. I seem to be getting an increasing amount of stuff in 6-pack or 12-pack cardboard boxes though, and while I prefer it coming this way, breakage is a problem. If a winery has 9 wines in their range, I usually ask them to wait until all 9 are...

Smithy, Do you just rock up to the post office and post the wine out, or do you have a special wine service account because of your volumes? Does the wine travel in the normal vans or do they have a 'fragile goods' service for accounts like yours? The thing is, when Oz Post breaks a bottle that's on...

Brian, It's quite possible that the policy has changed. I didn't read the conditions back then - I just went on what the bloke behind the counter said. I obviously get a lot of bottles delivered here by various transporters and I see about 2 broken bottles per week. In the last 6 weeks I've had a hi...

Brian, I don't know if Aus Post have changed their policy, but the last time I tried to insure a box of wine that I was sending through Oz Post the guy behind the counter picked up the box, held it at shoulder level, and then said - So if I drop it from here, will anything break? I said, Yes it will...

It's a delicious wine.
I put something up on it at http://www.winefront.com.au/news-blogs-contributions/

Battely is still a relatively young vineyard and I haven't been entirely convinced that it was heading for the top tier - I am now.

Campbell.



www.winefront.com.au

[quote="GraemeG"] Actually, the industry tradition seems to be that anything committed to paper should wait until there is some sign of distinct improvement over a few years, thereby allowing any article to have an upbeat tone that starts, "It's been a couple of tough vintages for Cha...

Fair call Brian. It's been an amazing slide towards obscurity. 7-10 years ago you'd almost call them one of the darlings - now you hardly see them mentioned. What happened? I still like the cellar door and still love the look of those steep-sided vineyards ... surely they've still got acccess to goo...