John riddoch vintages

[SipAndANibble]

Hey there,

Was hoping to tap into the collective wisdom here, as I know there’s a few of you who are pretty heavy on their wynns collections and probably have a good pulse on what’s what.

I’ve had a few BL cabs and Shiraz’s from wynns which have been pretty great.

And I just got a bonus at work and thus have a little play money for a purchase

I’m leaning towards either holding out and hoping my Wendouree list allocation comes through next year, or a 6 pack of John riddoch off the wynns website, while there’s some sales on at the moment

They have the new ‘21 vintage at 165 each
‘18 at 130 each
‘19 at 135 each
‘20 at 130 each

Are these priced well? Or should I wait for some sales? Or maybe call the winery directly to see if discounts are available?

And in general your opinion on best vintages for JR in coonwarra?

Cheers

[phillisc]

S and N,
With the increase of $25 on the RRP for 2021 JR, street price is $155+
I think Langtons had some for $140 and i picked up a few at less than that. But the advice at this stage is don't buy...its not selling and its over inflated. in terms of quality it is brilliant, I have looked at it 3-4 times now.

Don't bother with the 2020, its rubbish and should never have been made.
2019, 18, 16 I have purchased for all under $100, through wildcard, mystery deals and phone contacts from a TWE broker.

Of course I am biased, its my favourite wine, but in terms of best vintage, 2010/12/16/18/19/21 are all excellent editions.
I do beleive the wine is getting quite expensive now...so wait, someone (hopefully TWE will blink first). They need the sales.

Hope that helps
Cheers Craig

[Sean]

Currently those are fair prices if you are getting the wines direct from the winery.

For comparison, if you get them from Cellardoor.co today
JR 21 $170
JR 20 $130
JR 19 $130
JR 18 $130

FYI Cellardoor.co is run by Treasury Wine Estates and invite only. You get some pretty good prices every now and then. They often run specials or big discounts, but not on JR at the moment.

Agree with Craig that you should go for 18, 19 and 21 - not the 20.

If you are cellaring the wines for 15 or 20 years, get them direct from the winery. Then you know the provenance when you come to open and enjoy them.

Keep an eye on the weather, however. Summer is not an ideal time for wine deliveries.

[SipAndANibble]

Yeah good tips guys thanks! I’m not in a hurry to purchase at the moment but was leaning towards ‘18 and ‘21.

How does one get invited to cellar door.co ?

I was previously on silver status with penfolds last year which is owned by TWE, so maybe there’s something there?

I just thought the the BL is pretty great so the JR must be pretty good also .

It’s a good point also about the heat, my recent sorrenberg Chardonnay delivery went through that 36 degree day in Melbourne recently which I was a bit worried about! I don’t know why they deliver in the warmer months !

[Sean]

S&N

Just meant to show the prices you got off the Wynns website are currently OK. Even after the price jump on the 21.

My own opinion is JR is undervalued in the bigger scheme of things.

I have a 16, 18 and 21. A couple of years ago, I opened a 13 and 15 and really should not have done that.

If you see any of the vintages that Craig has listed, get them. In 10 or 20 years time, you will kick yourself if you don’t.

Or you can always wait a bit and shop around (if you are in no hurry) either with the big retailers or auction.

You need an invite from a Cellardoor.co member to join.

Really didn’t intend to lead you down that rabbit hole.

[cuttlefish]

Of the vintages going right back to 1982, which are the ones drinking well now?
The only one I've tasted in the last few years is the '82, but there are a number of others from the 80's and 90's that I'm curious about.
The first one I ever bought on release was the '03, and I haven't opened one of those yet. It's a pretty long-term proposition IMO, plus I like really aged reds.

[JamieAdelaide]

I did an international event using JR about 5 years ago. It was a good way to express Coonawarra and pique the interest of a diverse international crowd. Paid a small fortune for the 82 which had been passively stored- it was OK and not at its mightiest. Should be a capital offence passive clearing.

I was impressed with JR and made up a case of mixed vintages from auction form long cellar sleep.

[Mike Hawkins]

I did a JR vertical last year. 82 was a bit tired, 86 and 90 were awesome. 91 and 98 were pretty good and 96 and 02? were disappointing

[felixp21]

the 86 JR is quite good, I still have about 6 of the 12 left, and had one last year. Time to drink it up, it is another one where the Black Label is better than the JR.
if you can find a 1976 Black Label that heas been well stored, it is better than any vintage of the JR, including the 82.