Christmas Prepping

[michel]

2008 Cristal is the best-ever release of that wine, absolutely fantastic.
But it cost me $240 AUD at pre-release up in HK, goodness only knows what it will cost in Au$tralia!!!

230 dollars
Just ran back and grabbed more
Breathless now
Bargain

wow, that is a GREAT price for Australia!!!
hope you cleaned the place out!!!!

Mispriced

[Willard]

230 dollars
Just ran back and grabbed more
Breathless now
Bargain

wow, that is a GREAT price for Australia!!!
hope you cleaned the place out!!!!

Mispriced

Where......? Any left?? Pleeease PM me if so

[michel]

wow, that is a GREAT price for Australia!!!
hope you cleaned the place out!!!!

Mispriced

Where......? Any left?? Pleeease PM me if so

Nah
They are on to it

[Willard]

Haha fair enough. Cheers Michel.

[felixp21]

don't you love mis-priced stuff???
recently, I placed an order up here for a 5L bottle of de Montille 2010 Corton Charlemagne, for which the advertised price was about $700 AUD.
Knowing that they don't make a 5L bottle, and that the price was insanely low, I was very curious to see what the hell they were on about, and to see what they would come up with after they realised their mistake.
Sure enough, the frazzled assistant emailed me back, initially saying that the price should have been 8800 (about 1500 AUD) and that the warehouse had made the mistake. But given it was their mistake, they would sell it to me for 6000 (about $1000 AUD)
OK, no worries, just send me a picture of the bottle.
Sure thing... along came the pictures of a 3L bottle.... sent them the polite enquiry... looks like a 3L bottle to me, not 5L.
The even more frazzled assistant was even more apologetic, sorry, their mistake again etc etc
Anyway, the long and the short of it was they ended up selling it to me for 3700 (about $620 AUD), losing money on the deal but hoping to appease my ire at the whole thing. (not that I had any ire on the whole thing, pretty-much just amusement)
So, it ended up being a great win, as I would find it difficult to use a 5L bottle of white anyway, even if they made one!!! haha

[Mahmoud Ali]

Great result Felix, and well done on the part of the retailer for honouring their mistake.

Some years ago I caught an inordinate amount of flak for having bought something that was perhaps a mistake on the part of the retailer. People on this very forum accused me of being a scoundrel and a thief. Since then I don't bother posting anything on bargain buys that I come across.

Cheers .............. Mahmoud

[Michael McNally]

Great result Felix, and well done on the part of the retailer for honouring their mistake.

Some years ago I caught an inordinate amount of flak for having bought something that was perhaps a mistake on the part of the retailer. People on this very forum accused me of being a scoundrel and a thief. Since then I don't bother posting anything on bargain buys that I come across.

Cheers .............. Mahmoud

Only some people on this forum accused you of being a scoundrel and a thief (and a bounder perhaps?). I have a few times advised people telling such tales of mistakenly underpriced bargains that they have "pulled a Mahmoud". Wear it as a badge of pride sir!

Cheers

Michael

[Bobthebuilder]

Family Christmas is actually early December this year, as it's an "off" year and my (grown-up) sons will be with their better halves in Boston, Montreal, and Barcelona respectively with their in-laws or soon to be in-laws hehe
So, the big do, that starts around noon and finishes around midnight, will include my usual vinous input:
for 20 people:
Beer: Tsing Tao... what else!!!
Champagne, all sorts, x6 bottles (Selosse, Cristal, Winston, et al)
Entree: (whole fish, shell fish etc) 2015 Olivier Pithon Cuvee Lais Blanc (x4 bottles)
Main: (lamb) 2003 Leoville Barton (x4 bottles)
Sweet: (trifle et al) 2001 Rieussec (x2 bottles)
Cheese: (always too big and too many hehe) Fonseca 77, Warre's 94, Rockford 97

Tasting:
Horizontal of Clos de la Roche 2011, (average year in Burgundy, but Cdl R absolutely shone)
Ponsot
Arlaud
Faiveley
Raphet
Lignier-Michelot

Annual Christmas Wine Challenge: five bottles to identify blind.. YTBD

Small number of bottles to accompany lunch, as experience has shown people are too busy gas-bagging at that stage to drink much

You know you would be much better off saving that stuff for a Sydney offline where it would be truely appreciated!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Only some people on this forum accused you of being a scoundrel and a thief (and a bounder perhaps?). I have a few times advised people telling such tales of mistakenly underpriced bargains that they have "pulled a Mahmoud". Wear it as a badge of pride sir!

Fair enough. And now that you remind me, I do recall seeing you do that.

Thanks ............... Mahmoud.

[Ian S]

I've always fancied being a bounder, but never had the nerve

[michel]

Cristal 2008 looks deft light tight wonderful acid
This needs 20 years

[felixp21]

Flash visit down to Melbourne for the family Christmas party last Saturday, now safely up here in the magnificent weather (easily the best time of the year to visit HK, if you want to go, great weather and fantastic Christmas atmosphere and shopping)
our Xmas wine challenge turned out to be identifying 8 grape varieties, four red, four white, with 10 options, five white, five red, to choose from.
Wines not known to contestants until after answer sheets in, no options given)
They were:
1. Viognier (2016 Guigal Condrieu La Doraine, seen this several times, utterly spectacular, and the best release of this to date. 98pts)
2. Chardonnay (2010 PYCM Puligny 1er Cru Folatieres, brilliant and drinking beautifully now. 93pts)
3. Riesling (2010 Muller-Catoir Spatlese Trocken, lovely, drinking beautifully, 92pts)
4. Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc (2005 Chateau Carbonnieux, at peak, just gorgeous 93pts)

not represented but on option sheet: gewurtztraminer

1. Pinot Noir (2005 Rousseau Gevrey GC Mazis Chambertin, still young and tannic, but easily seen as a pinot. 91+ pts)
2. Cabernet Sauvignon (2005 Woodlands Colin Cabernet, superb, classic MR cabernet with stunning fruit and excellent focus 95pts)
3. Nebbiolo (2007 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Ovello, nice, couldn't mistake this one!! 92pts)
4. Shiraz (2009 Two Hand's Barney's Block, another super Aussie wine, stacked with liquorice and plum, 94pts)

not represented but on option sheet: Gamay

Two people got 8/8, the winner in sudden death identifying a straight merlot (1997 Ornellaia "Masseto", which was stunning, and best red 96pts )

lots of other cool wines throughout the day/night, highlights being a lovely horizontal of 2011 CdlR, the Ponsot head and shoulders above the others.
3L bottle of l'arrosee was fantastic, so sad to see this Chateau disappear.
very few lowlights, but two bottles of 2009 Escarpment Pinot (Pahi and Kiwa) were simply horrendous wines, and each ended up down the sink hehe (both cellared since release, each stacked with green, coarse tannins. The love of NZ pinot continues to escape me)