May 2019 Purchases

[winetastic]

2 x 2016 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Chiappemacine
2 x 2016 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Guardiola
2 x 2016 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Porcaria
2 x 2016 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Rampante
2 x 2016 Passopisciaro Sicilia Contrada Sciaranuova

[JamieBahrain]

6 x Vajra Bricco delle Violle Barolo 2015

6 x Vajra Ravera Barolo 2015

[mychurch]

2 weeks without alcohol must have frazzled my brain as I just put an order in for 6 mags of ‘18 Pontet Canet.

I do own the 09 and had a case of the 03, which got rid of, but still surprised I pulled the trigger. It’s the combination of the minuscule yield and the reviews (generally, ‘not seem anything like it’) that caught my eye. Palmer has similar reviews, but sold out and was 3 times the price.

[Rossco]

2 x 2015 Bricco Giubellini Barolo
1 x 2015 Conterno Fantino Vigna del Gris
1 x 2015 Conterno Fantino Vigna Sori Ginestra
1 x 2015 Conterno Fantino Mosconi Vigna Ped
1 x 2015 Conterno Fantino Castelletto Vigna Pressenda

[Hacker]

6 pack of Standish, 3 The Standish and 3 Lamella
Large mixed parcel of 2017 Robert Chevillon.
6 LEAS 2016 Chardonnay
12 Voyager 2016 Chardonnay. Can't believe (or understand) the discounting going on with this brand.

[mychurch]

Visited Curly Flat today and picked up a case of Chardonnay - 1 bottle each from 2010 to 2015. The ‘17 was on tasting and was impressive in a modest way. Think it’s a wine to age and i’m looking forward to trying the older bottles.

[Chuck]

From auction some with good provenance:

4 x Koonara 2010 Ambriel's Gift Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

1 x Yalumba Galway Pipe. So old it is measured in pints and fluid ounces. Excellent level too. These golden oldies keep popping up at auction and at around $13 they are a steal. Who said tawny ports don't improve with age.

After selling a 1990 Grange loaded up on malt whiskeys:

Macallan 12 year old double cask.

Glengoyne Cask Strength. 59% rocket fuel.

Auchentoshan US oak

Oban 14 year old.

And still around $150 left out of the Grange money for other malts. Have the trigger finger ready for a Glengoyne 21 year old. Just can't pull it yet.

Carl

[Mike Hawkins]

From auction some with good provenance:

And still around $150 left out of the Grange money for other malts. Have the trigger finger ready for a Glengoyne 21 year old. Just can't pull it yet.

Carl

Don’t wait too long. I was at the distillery and they told me they will replace this and the 15, 18, 25, 30 etc with new releases that won’t list the number of years they have been aged...

I’ve been stashing away a few dozen as it’s probably my favourite producer

[Chuck]

From auction some with good provenance:

And still around $150 left out of the Grange money for other malts. Have the trigger finger ready for a Glengoyne 21 year old. Just can't pull it yet.

Carl

Don’t wait too long. I was at the distillery and they told me they will replace this and the 15, 18, 25, 30 etc with new releases that won’t list the number of years they have been aged...

I’ve been stashing away a few dozen as it’s probably my favourite producer

Thanks for the heads up. At around $250 per bottle it's a great price for something that old. I am not a fan of their younger stuff. Tried them at the distillery a few years ago. Not enough wood. light in style. However the 21 year old was a real head turner at a mate's place recently. Very dark so plenty of wood.With the remaining $150 and my kids' birthday present of a Dan's $70 gift card I'm just about there. Will pull the trigger when we get back from our current trip along the Great Ocean Road.

Carl

[Con J]

Hi Con, checked out the high bid - OMG. Good thing you were the under bidder!

Brodie

Hi Brodie, I had mixed feelings on the night but Mychurch got me thinking about it after reading his post and I’m a bit disappointed I missed it. As Mychurch said there can't be that many old bottles like this out there and I may never see another piece of Australian wine history like this again.

How awesome would it have been to pull out a 100 year old Aussie VP in 2025.

Shame you lost out. It’s a lot of money, but I can’t believe there are many bottles this old lying around in cellars. Anyone getting this for $200 would be getting a real bargain.

[mychurch]

Don’t worry Con - there is always a new lot on the horizon.

A few years ago I travelled down to Belgium for an auction to check out some very old bottles of Algerian wine. All covered in dirt, hardly any labels and fills around top shoulder. Supposedly from the ‘30s and ‘40s I was sure nobody would want them, but I had read good thing about old Algerian wine from Mr Audouze and thought they would be worth it. I got the first bid in at €60 and could see a few people in the hall with that ‘is he mad look’, but just as the hammer was falling someone on the telephone put their hand up and the bidding started..after a few bids it above the high estimate, it was clear that someone serious was on the other end of the line and I gave up rather than forcing them to pay a ridiculous price. Sad now that I did not buy the bottles, but a few lots later I picked up some 80’s Hugel Gewurtz for almost nothing and that turned out to be fantastic. We just have to enjoy the ones we get rather than the ones that got away.

[brodie]

3 x 2008 Cristal (got an offer price that was impossible to refuse)

Also the annual Raveneau allocation purchase;
3 x 2016 Raveneau Montee de Tonerre
3 x 2016 Raveneau Valmur

Brodie

[FredericoWines]

3 x 2008 Cristal (got an offer price that was impossible to refuse)

Brodie

May I know what that price was? I paid $324 CAD (approx $300 AUD)

[brodie]

3 x 2008 Cristal (got an offer price that was impossible to refuse)

Brodie

May I know what that price was? I paid $324 CAD (approx $300 AUD)

NZD 242

[TiggerK]

That's amazing brodie. Nice work.

Edit: I bought one to a tasting tonight. Great wine. Not going to rush and pay $350+ for another one on my budget, but no denying the high quality and if you can afford it, few other modern champers come close imho.

[phillisc]

A dozen Mr Riggs 2008 Outpost Coonawarra Cabernet. Part of a clearance sale, I was assured re storage conditions for an 11 year old red, if its shot, its going back
Cheers craig

[rosewaterwrx]

Sorry about the Caps.....copy/pasted from the auction site

2 x DOMAINE DES SENECHAUX, CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2007
1 x HILLCREST VINEYARDS PREMIUM MERLOT, YARRA VALLEY 2012
3 x GIACONDA WARNER VINEYARD SHIRAZ, BEECHWORTH 2013
2 x Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne Saint Joseph 2016
2 x Sorrenberg Gamay 2018

And considering a pre-order of Holyman Chardonnay 2018

[Willard]

A few Nebbiolo to round out a very painful month following Tyrrell's private bin.

3 x 2014 Cappellano Pie Rupestris
2 x 2015 Canonica Barolo Paiagallo
2 x 2016 Olek Bondonio Barbaresco Roncagliette
1 x 2015 Vajra Bricco delle Viole (could only track down a single!)
2 x 2015 Benevelli Piero Barolo Ravera di Monforte

[Mahmoud Ali]

Went to an in-store wine tasting last Saturday. I was more impressed by the whites, rosés and vermouths than by the reds. What caught my eye was a 20 year-old wine that was not on tasting, a 1999 Mastroberardino 'Naturalis Historica', Irpina (basically a Taurasi) from Italy. A mature aglianico from a fabled producer, what is not to like. I am a happy camper.

[Sean]

deleted

[FredericoWines]

3 x 2008 Cristal (got an offer price that was impossible to refuse)

Brodie

May I know what that price was? I paid $324 CAD (approx $300 AUD)

NZD 242

Wow, nice

[brodie]

That's amazing brodie. Nice work.

Edit: I bought one to a tasting tonight. Great wine. Not going to rush and pay $350+ for another one on my budget, but no denying the high quality and if you can afford it, few other modern champers come close imho.

Hey Tigger, thanks for the note. I am not a normally a Cristal buyer but the 2008 vintage and the price was too great a temptation. I hate to imagine what the 2008 Krug will go for when it is released!

[Ian S]

Very little being bought at the moment, but at a local food festival last weekend I did buy a remarkably interesting locally made Pinot Gris. Arguably it ought to have been labelled as Pinot Grigio, as it's more in that style, but given the abominations usually found under that name, I don't disagree with their choice. Looking forward to tasting it in the cold light of day at home, as I can't think of a Pinot Gris / Grigio in the lighter style that I've been more impressed with than this one.

There is an emerging wine scene in Norfolk / Suffolk, with Winbirri, Chet, Flint and this one (a new name to me) Valley farm vineyards. Being one of the driest areas of the country is a help given our climate, and temperatures not bad in UK terms either. Still very much in the 'marginal climate' category, and pricing is typically + 50% where the competitors in other countries would be (even after shipping here), but it's starting to be interesting to follow - and this one impressed enough that I'd say it was very competitive in price vs. ability to interest a wine enthusiast.

[kenzo]

Great write up Sean! really captures the feeling for those having to live vicariously through you!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for the cellar door writeups Sean, really enjoyed the read. It has been some time since I was in South Australia and visited some of the same wineries, namely Langmeil, Turkey Flat, Rockford, Henschke, Coriole, Chapel Hull and d'Arenberg. Coincidentally, like you, I was also impressed by Rockford's Growers Semillon and the Moppa Springs and came away with a pair of each to take back home to Canada.

I have been to Rockford twice. On the first visit there was a limit of one case per customer. I was on my way across Australia to Perth and heading to Hong Kong and China so I wasn't in the market but I did buy a full case for a fellow I met at the backpacker hostel. He was from Melbourne and had been to Rockford's the day before and bought a case but he wanted another one. I didn't have to pretend to like the wine and walked out with a case and we made the exchange in the parking lot. On my second visit to Rockford the 1998s were all sold out and, like your experience, people came to the cellar door not just asking to buy a 1998 Basket Press but also pleading and beseeching - one was a young cellar hand from Europe working a local winery. After that happened I looked at my server and said "I guess the '98 Basket Press isn't on tasting, is it?". "Don't worry" she said, "I have some here" as she lifted a half open bottle from under the counter. I recall it being a very fine wine, deep-fruited, well structured, and built to last, by my estimation at the time 15-20 years.

When I visited Langmeil back in 2001 it was a relatively new winery and they had only one, if not two, vintages of the Freedom under their belt but they were very excited about the quality. Unfortunately they were sold out of the earlier vintages and the upcoming one hadn't yet been bottled so I didn't get to taste it. In any case, fast forward a number of years, I eventually managed to get my hands on a bottle of The Freedom from the 2004 vintage, but that is a whole other story.

Regarding d'Arenberg, one piece of news circulating here in Edmonton is that their museum releases are now being offered in their restaurant. As a result d'Arenberg museum releases will soon become less and less available. It might be something to keep in mind if one comes across any.

By the way, the 2018 Turkey flat rosé is available here in Edmonton, I sampled it at an in-store tasting last weekend. It was fresh, floral but on the light side. It is a very popular rosé but for me Melton's Rose of Virginia has been the better wine.

Anyway, these were a few thoughts that came to mind when reading your writeup.

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

[FredericoWines]

3x Beaucastel CdP 2016