2018 Wendouree Mailer

[bdellabosca]

My credit card charged an amount matching to exactly what I ordered - 3 bottles of each wine. Awesome!

[George Krashos]

Got mine today. Super quick this year.

-- George Krashos

[Matt@5453]

Got mine today. Super quick this year.

-- George Krashos

Excellent George, I presume you are in SA?

Nice to see some positive news on here, rather than personal insults and one up-man-ship.

I feel the 16s will have a heightened longevity to them. Wendouree’s neighbour reckons the ‘16 Wines are ‘tightly wound’ and need a lot of time. I’ve heard the 2010s are starting to drink well now too.

[trufflequeen]

I rang today. There was a spanner in the works as I'd used a different surname to last year's order (husband's surname) when I completed order form this year. Sounds like they didn't immediately recognise the order / member history, and it may have gone into a secondary processing pile They are aware now, though, and hopefully card will be charged soon.

[Wayno]

Don’t mess around with the formula !

Got mine this week too (Thursday) - Adelaide. Order fulfilled which is good. Very quick.

[Ddavew]

Received mine yesterday ,in full.

[mse]

Got my 36 bottles this morning. Sydney based. Happy chap.

[Hacker]

Got all 18 bottles ordered. Cutting down a bit with orders now. I think I have over 150 bottles going back to 1991, and a variety of most of their offerings. These are contemplative wines.

[DJ1980]

No charge yet...

Brisbane here. COME ON!!

[JamieBahrain]

I got a full allocation 6 x bottles of all the reds. A little muddle up due form going to the wrong address. I also love the fact Wendouree ship in winter ! Always felt for those in warm climates and the like of Rockfords.

I have way too much Wendouree. I'll present many fantastic events in Hong Kong in the next few years as well as having enough for retirement. Having them cellared professionally since release ( and winter transit ) makes all the difference from a patchy secondary market performance.

[Hacker]

Hi Jaime, I remember a photo of your professional cellar a few years ago and it was packed with Wendouree! And that was back when they did dozen boxes. From what vintage did you start buying? You could probably supply your airline with Wendouree to serve to the first class passengers!!

[phillisc]

Hacker, I was having a bit of a think about this, I brought about six mixed cases of Wendouree across the 90-93 vintages.
From 94 to 06 it was 1-2 dozen and from 08 onwards after the missing 07 vintage it has been 2 dozen every year. With a few from the original 6 cases now gone, it still has me at a ridiculous 500 bottles or thereabouts. I am part way through a cellar move and have a two 5 shelve units full.
Still what I have is minor compared to some on here.

A friend of mine (who put me onto the wine), has brought a full allocation 3 dozen, (and more so in the early years when straight 12's were the norm) since 1986...he's got some work to do with 100+ dozen in the cellar
The 2020 vintage will probably see me through, I have visions of being the dottery cranky old granddad who brings 40+ year old Wendouree along to Sunday lunches with kids/grand kids

Cheers Craig

[sjw_11]

Hacker, I was having a bit of a think about this, I brought about six mixed cases of Wendouree across the 90-93 vintages.
From 94 to 06 it was 1-2 dozen and from 08 onwards after the missing 07 vintage it has been 2 dozen every year. With a few from the original 6 cases now gone, it still has me at a ridiculous 500 bottles or thereabouts. I am part way through a cellar move and have a two 5 shelve units full.
Still what I have is minor compared to some on here.

Cheers Craig

Craig, apologies for being an analytical bore, but your maths there is rather suspect...

If you bought 6 mixed cases across 90-93 (72 bottles), and then a dozen each over 13 vintages from 94 to 2006 (156 bottles), followed by two dozen from 2008-2015 (192 bottles), the most you could have would be 420 bottles, and that would be assuming that you had not drunk any over the entire 25 odd years since your first purchase...

I suppose if you haven't drunk that many, it will still be a lot of Wendouree!! ... For the record, I have 39 bottles, plus whatever I get this year

[phillisc]

Sam, you might be right, only did maths to year 10 high school but lets give it a go...

Last 9 vintages a couple of dozen each year...216 (none consumed)
Previous 13 vintages before that, average 18 bottles each, don't know the exact number, and there were years like 94, 96, 97, 98, 02, 04...good vintages and two sons birth years where I brought full allocations but only got 9 bottles in 95...don't know why in their centenary year, and 99-01 was a bit thin too...maybe 10-15 tasted...220
And the first 4 vintages 90-93, 6 dozen which I have drunk about 20 or so bottles, maybe 40 or so left

So Sam, you are right...probably fall short a couple of cases...next years purchase will put me over the mark...anyway plenty to look forward to.

When I finally finish sorting the cellar move, I might know how many, most are still in original cartons, most unopened, but have never kept any form of cellar record in 30 years of collecting...probably a foolish mistake.

Cheers
Craig

[Hacker]

So Craig do you still have any 1990 and 1991 bottles around? Most memorable to me over the many years have been a 1990 cab Malbec provided by Kevin, and a 1991 Shiraz from my stash (birth year of Amelia). Both bottles at the one offline at Ripples on Sydney harbour. Adair was there as the self appointed Wendouree Warrier, praising all things Wendouree and Brady. It was a memorable evening with some lovely wines.
Also the 1990 Shiraz magnum, originally paid $100 from Wendouree. I often contemplated what grand event I would share this gem, and in the end it was at my mothers wake. It drank very well and honored a lovely lady.

[sjw_11]

Sam, you might be right, only did maths to year 10 high school but lets give it a go...

)
Previous 13 vintages before that, average 18 bottles each

Ah you said 1-2 dozen in those years... Your maths is better than my reading comprehension

[grhm1961]

Still no sign of the credit card taking a hit here. I do wonder if Sydney-siders get their orders filled last?!

[Matt@5453]

Still no sign of the credit card taking a hit here. I do wonder if Sydney-siders get their orders filled last?!

I don't think this is the case. I know of people who received orders earlier in the week.

[phillisc]

So Craig do you still have any 1990 and 1991 bottles around? Most memorable to me over the many years have been a 1990 cab Malbec provided by Kevin, and a 1991 Shiraz from my stash (birth year of Amelia). Both bottles at the one offline at Ripples on Sydney harbour. Adair was there as the self appointed Wendouree Warrier, praising all things Wendouree and Brady. It was a memorable evening with some lovely wines.
Also the 1990 Shiraz magnum, originally paid $100 from Wendouree. I often contemplated what grand event I would share this gem, and in the end it was at my mothers wake. It drank very well and honored a lovely lady.

Thanks Hacker, only boring old straight Shiraz and Cabernet from the 90 vintage, but a few extra in 91. Think I will consume them at 30 years of age.
May look at back filling as 91, 93 and 95 prices are pretty good VFM on the secondary market, and probably worth the risk. I also had an option to buy at the cellar door a 90 magnum...remember one sitting proudly in the corner overlooking Tony's desk where he conducted all the business and most punters still paid in folding stuff. Could have brought 4, as I had three others with me, but alas.

As an aside, I have mentioned in a previous post of a certain Adelaide retailer sending its stooges up to the CD in the very early 90s, asking anyone as they walked in...'here's the money for a dozen of this, a dozen of that, whilst they filled up their van.

Last month I happened to have a chat to a bloke where my wine is stored and had a quick glimpse into his unit, dozens and dozens and dozens of boxes (mainly 12 bottles) piled up to a ceiling of about 8-9 foot high...so should of taken a photo. Same bloke who has a connection with same shop

Say gidday to Adair, yes he is certainly right up there as a Wendouree guru...I miss his posts on Wendouree and particularly Rockford, and on another forum when I was first starting out posting...sadly that forum is defunct. My colleague that I referred to in the previous post, who has enough Wendouree to follow Cleopatra's lead, drunk a 90 magnum in 2014...praising it as excellent.

By the way, what a lovely send off for your Mum...when my Dad died in 08 we drank Bests Bin 0, Thompson's, early 90 Seppelts Great Western's and Rockford BP and early SVS's. He took me to Victoria in 1980 on road trips when he was involved in the wine industry, clearly influenced my buying habits and I took him to Rockford on a few occasions...Robert published my story about my Dad in The Rag about 10 years ago

Cheers
Craig

[JamieBahrain]

Hi Jaime, I remember a photo of your professional cellar a few years ago and it was packed with Wendouree! And that was back when they did dozen boxes. From what vintage did you start buying? You could probably supply your airline with Wendouree to serve to the first class passengers!!

I think it was 94 with odds and ends before. I should have stopped though I have an audience abroad for the wines which is a fun way to show off Australian wine in a unique fashion.

What a fitting tribute for your Mum. The 1990 featured in Decanter's wine legends.

Wendouree, Shiraz 1990 is a legend because…

Tony Brady has been crafting intensely flavoured wines from Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Mourvedre (Mataro) since 1974, when he took over running this small Clare Valley property. He has been aided in his project by carefully preserved Shiraz bush vines planted gradually between 1893 and 1920. These vines are still alive. (The property was planted by Alfred Percy Birks, a gentleman farmer, who named the estate after the aboriginal name for ‘place of water’.) As is the case with centenarian vines everywhere, the production is low and generally self-regulating, and yields rarely exceed 30 hectolitres per hectare. This legendary 1990 Shiraz is made from the original Shiraz bush vines (block 24B) and was released only in magnum. Australian critic James Halliday has described Wendouree as a ‘living treasure’.


Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine/grape-varietie ... efHftQX.99

[phillisc]

Never realised that the 1990 magnum was solely from the 1898 plantings...as Bruce would say...special

Cheers craig

[Hacker]

Never realised that the 1990 magnum was solely from the 1898 plantings...as Bruce would say...special

Cheers craig

I wonder if that would be to the detriment of the regular 1990 Shiraz release?

[maybs]

Sent mine back 2 July, just got back from holidays and my card not charged yet. Something obviously gone horribly wrong, will try and call them

[Mahmoud Ali]

Never realised that the 1990 magnum was solely from the 1898 plantings...as Bruce would say...special

Cheers craig

I wonder if that would be to the detriment of the regular 1990 Shiraz release?

If indeed they were made from different blocks they would be different wines.

Isn't a part of the vineyard planted by A. P. Birk now in the hands of Tim Adam, the fruit of which goes into his premium Abefeldy?

Mahmoud.

[Matt@5453]

Never realised that the 1990 magnum was solely from the 1898 plantings...as Bruce would say...special

Cheers craig

I wonder if that would be to the detriment of the regular 1990 Shiraz release?

If indeed they were made from different blocks they would be different wines.

Isn't a part of the vineyard planted by A. P. Birk now in the hands of Tim Adam, the fruit of which goes into his premium Abefeldy?

Mahmoud.

Have you got any more details?
There’s old vines planted in vineyards east and west of springfarm road, and and north & south of Wendouree east Rd.

[livcoll]

For anyone tracking. My Card was charged this morning. 3 x each wine. Adelaide based, red crayon since 2009 vintage. Missed out on normal order last vintage but did manage to get a mixed 6 pack of shiraz blends.

[qwertt]

Charged this morning. Two of each. Canberra. Red stripe.

[mps17]

Also charged this morning for full order in Brisbane. Red Stripe.

[Croquet King]

Credit card charge yesterday for 6 each of Shiraz, Cabernet and Shiraz Mataro.
I did ring to make sure they got my order.

I'm on a self imposed wine buying ban.
I've just cracked over 1,100 bottles. Although not huge its enough to stop me buying any more wine this year.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Matt,

I seem to remember someting about the Aberfeldy being made from a vineyard planted by A. P. Birks on the back label of the wine. However, not having a bottle at hand the next best thing is a quote from Langtons"

"The 1.6 hectare Aberfeldy Vineyard comprises a large proportion of dry grown colonial vine stock planted by Wendouree's Alfred Percy Birks in 1904."

Mahmoud.