August 2025 Purchases

[phillisc]

12 2022 Passing Clouds Shiraz
A few bottles of 2022 St Henri at a reasonable price Likely to be the last ever Pennies purchase
Cheers Craig

[Chuck]

12 x Mike Press 2021 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

6 x Schild Estate 2021 Three Springs Barossa Shiraz

[Sean]

I did a walk in tasting of some of the new release Penfolds - Bin 28, Bin 389 and St Henri.
Interesting the Bin 28 is under cork rather than screwcap.
Also a price drop this year, but I still bought just a sample of the offerings and one back vintage.

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 23 (cork)
Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 18
Penfolds Bin 138 GSM 23
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 23
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 22
Chalmers Nero d’Avola 22
Port Phillip Estate Red Hill Chardonnay 24
Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Chardonnay 24
Yering Station Yarra Chardonnay 24
Yering Station Yarra Pinot Noir 24

[phillisc]

Had a look at a couple of Pennies releases today
2023 Bin 51 EV Riesling... texture is like water, as is the flavour...where is the acidity...yeah nah
2023 Bin 28, ok, nice mouthfeel good depth, will cellar well
2023 Bin 389 can't see the value here at $100+ remember paying $10-12. A fraction green and lacks fruit and depth.
2022 St Henri...this is more like it, solid fruit profile, chocolate, cherry notes, strong finish firm tannins rounds out nicely. The pick of the 3 reds.
Cheers Craig

[SipAndANibble]

Went to my first wine tasting event, the real reviews top Australian wineries event. Was interesting, although I don’t think I did it properly as all the wines started to taste the same after a while, and after tasting 15 wineries 4-5 wines each I was pretty trollied

The ones that stood out were Levantine hill, clonakilla, by Farr and yalumba

Strangely I tried the wynns wines which I usually love but didn’t get much out of them on the day? I think my palate was overwhelmed ?

Ended up buying
2x 2018 Levantine hill special edition Samantha’s paddock melange traditionnel

[Sean]

I went back to Dan Murphy’s this afternoon and picked up another dozen wines. Some crazy good specials (especially on the premiums) at the moment to take advantage of.
I told the Manager I bought the Penfolds yesterday and the wines I really want to drink today.
Wendy tells me I can’t buy any more wine this month.
Real problem is what is going in the 30 bottle wine fridge and what isn’t.

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 18
Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 20
Golding Pinot Noir 23
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 13
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 14
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 20
Stumpy Gully Peninsula Panorama Chardonnay 24
Stumpy Gully Peninsula Panorama Pinot Noir 24
Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 24
Wynns Black Label Shiraz 22
Xanadu Chardonnay 23
Yering Station Yarra Chardonnay 24

[Beachy]

6 x 2021 DiGiorgio Coonawarra Cabernet
12 x 2020 Brash Higgins SHZ Shiraz

[phillisc]

6 x 2021 DiGiorgio Coonawarra Cabernet
12 x 2020 Brash Higgins SHZ Shiraz

Very good wine.
The Digiorgo is one of their best in recent years
Cheers Craig

[Beachy]

6 x 2021 DiGiorgio Coonawarra Cabernet
12 x 2020 Brash Higgins SHZ Shiraz

Very good wine.
The Digiorgo is one of their best in recent years
Cheers Craig

Hi Craig,
I am familiar with the DiGiorgio Cab but Brash Higgins is new to me so am looking forward to trying this wine.

[Andrew Jordan]

x3 2021 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Odyssey
x1 2012 Seppelt Shiraz Show Sparkling Great Western
x2 2023 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

And a few auctions purchases:
x2 2012 Best's Great Western Sparkling Shiraz
x1 2022 Kalleske Shiraz J.M.K VP
x2 2008 Saltram Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Selection
x2 2012 Diggers Bluff Sly Dog Cabernet
x2 1996 Leasingham Shiraz Classic Clare Sparkling
x1 1996 Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz
x7 NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Brut

[phillisc]

Diggers Bluff... there's a blast from the past. Remember a very young Tim and Travis behind the tasting bench at the old man's 25-30 years ago, dishing out a few wines.
Got a few of the wines, sadly long gone. Not sure what happened, Tim was certainly his own person, is he even making wine anymore? Someone will know.
Very much like Travis Earth wines too, need to get a few more.

Enjoy the Odyssey AJ... stupendous wine!!
Cheers Craig

[Waiters Friend]

My first 2025 vintage wines:

6 x Seppelt Drumborg Riesling
6 x Dukes Vineyard Magpie Hill Reserve

[SipAndANibble]

These sand Levantine hill bottles are gargantuan and barely fit in my wine fridge. It’s annoying that the big odd shaped standish/sami odi/levantine hill don’t fit properly together!

Funnily enough I can wedge in more bottles with a sorrenberg in between a standard 389 or st Henri style bottle. It’s a bit of a jigsaw

First world problems

[SipAndANibble]

These sand Levantine hill bottles are gargantuan and barely fit in my wine fridge. It’s annoying that the big odd shaped standish/sami odi/levantine hill don’t fit properly together!

Funnily enough I can wedge in more bottles with a sorrenberg in between a standard 389 or st Henri style bottle. It’s a bit of a jigsaw

First world problems

[Chuck]

6 x Grounded Cru Inc 2022 McLaren Vale Shiraz

[phillisc]

Chuck, am interested if you open a Grounded Cru...thinking of getting some myself.
Off the old Ingoldby vineyard that Jim started in MV in the 1970s

3 2016 Levantine Hill Samantha's Paddock
1 1981 Wynns BL
3 2019 Travis Earth BV Shiraz

Cheers Craig

[Chuck]

Chuck, am interested if you open a Grounded Cru...thinking of getting some myself.
Off the old Ingoldby vineyard that Jim started in MV in the 1970s

Cheers Craighave been extr

Hi Craig.

They have been put to bed for a few years despite being keen to try them now. But only a few years. Current home storage is OK but unlikely to support long term cellaring which does exclude long termers like cabernet (Wynns etc). Screwcap a bit of a nuisance too. Shiraz needs much less sleep time and current vintages (21 and 22) from SA are just awesome.

Carl

[SipAndANibble]

Chuck, am interested if you open a Grounded Cru...thinking of getting some myself.
Off the old Ingoldby vineyard that Jim started in MV in the 1970s

3 2016 Levantine Hill Samantha's Paddock
1 1981 Wynns BL
3 2019 Travis Earth BV Shiraz

Cheers Craig

Keen to hear what you think of the Samantha’s paddock - did you get them at auction ?

I just got 12x21 wynns BL cab

And trying to convince the wife to let me get 10x 24 grosset polish hill rieslings with some new found qantas points, pray for me

[Ian S]

Went to my first wine tasting event, the real reviews top Australian wineries event. Was interesting, although I don’t think I did it properly as all the wines started to taste the same after a while, and after tasting 15 wineries 4-5 wines each I was pretty trollied

Strangely I tried the wynns wines which I usually love but didn’t get much out of them on the day? I think my palate was overwhelmed ?

Definitely some perils in these big walkround events, illustrated well here.

Wynns overwhelmed: Yes, the more wines we drink, the more it's intensity that stands out, and our perception of balance gets shifted.
Solutions?
- Try to start lighter and work upwards, but in doing so, kiss the icon wines goodbye, as many make a beeline for the most expensive wines to get 'value for money' out of the experience. The fancier bottles run out quicker.
- Taste at less tables, but explore their range fully. In that way you can recalibrate your palate to the winery style. The winemakers at the table will love you as well, as someone willing to explore their style rather than just cherry picking.

Palate fatigue: Very real, and I've learnt to treat my *own* opinions and notes with a degree of scepticism, when tasting in this environment.
Solutions?
- Water water everywhere, nor any drop is drunk. There's always a jug or two of water on every table. Make use of it frequently, ideally after every sample, but I rarely follow my own advice here. As a minimum, aim to rinse and drink water when moving between whites and reds, and on leaving every table. It'll help to mitigate the effect of the alc. but also helps mitigate palate fatigue.
- Nibbles. If there are water biscuits or grissini put out, then use them. It's especially important for tannic reds.
- Don't feel obligated to drink all the wine poured into the glass. At such tasting, I'll typically take 2-3 small sips, the rest gets poured into a spittoon.
- If there with friends, have little breaks to catch up, get some tips of interesting wines to try (or avoid!), and a 2-3 minute break helps the palate get a breather.
- Focus. Such events can be a super option to focus on a particular style e.g. clare rieslings, Marg River Cab/Merlot, cool climate pinot, etc. It'll be easier to see the subtle differences if you taste them 'back to back', and can be a super way to test out a new potential area of interest. I once did this with Brunello di Montalcino, and it was useful in the sense of being almost entirely underwhelming. Probably saved me a fair bit of money as a result!

Finally, a little trick I learnt from a friend. We often taste sparkling whites / champagne at the start of such events, for fairly logical reasons. However when your palate is feeling incredibly fatigued later on, grab a taste of a sparkler, and it will genuinely refresh.

[SipAndANibble]

Some good tips here Ian,

I noticed some people did a first run on the whites only or rieslings only before going into the reds. I did a first pass of the key wineries I knew and liked but did full flights of each wineries offerings, probably should’ve utilised the spitoon more lol. I was washing out the glasses with water between wineries.

I also unconventionally made my way around with a plate of cheese and quince so I was nibbling between wines and sips which helped !

Luckily none of the icon wines were exhausted, we had the first tasting and I did go to the main ones first as you say.

I tried some of the fortified morris wines at the end and everything tasted like raisins after that , I had to get a new glass.

I probably should’ve paced myself more and taken breaks between flights. I sort of was in a hurry to get around to everything. But yes with more planning I perhaps could’ve mapped out all the rieslings to start for e.g.

It also made me realise how difficult a wine taster or sommeliers job must be !

Good tip for the sparkling !

Cheers,
Steve

[Ian S]

Super move on the cheese Steve - hard cheeses do a great job in such situations (*Stinking bishop, not so much, but at least will get you a clear path to a tasting table ).

* a cheese that is very aptly named.

[phillisc]

Ian, agreed!!
I always have a hunk of cheddar if I'm at a big tasting, plus a few small goods, olives...wait I can hear the critics charging in at a 100 paces, how could you pick up any subtle nuances, taste properly...blah blah blah.
I'm going to be looking at 100-120 reds at an event next week over 3 hours, I'll be eating and spitting as often as I can.
Wine is intended to be consumed with food, or at the very least a little bit of something to go with it

Sip or Steve, welcome, good points, its called olfactory adaptation.
I don't believe for a second with what the professionals say, after looking at a class of 200 one to two year old Shiraz, your palate is stuffed, this is where the little bits of cheese/bread and Jatz crackers come in...do the pro's at the big shows even do this anymore, or is it a relic from days gone by?

I laugh at how many times certain wines are reviewed, at the gold medal level, and in a show in Victoria, NSW, SA, or a regional show, and wine X is assessed by judge Y, and is awarded a gold in one show, and a bronze or worse in the next. The National Wine show in Canberra has this happen every year
Then you have judges who give every wine 95+ points and others 'lowly" 90s
Yes pace yourself, Sparklers and Rieslings first, then youngest wines moving to oldest, I often will do Shiraz, Cab blends and Cabernet in that order, finishing with stickies or fortifieds. Its a formula that I have used for 40 years...seems to work well
Cheers Craig

[phillisc]

Chuck, am interested if you open a Grounded Cru...thinking of getting some myself.
Off the old Ingoldby vineyard that Jim started in MV in the 1970s

3 2016 Levantine Hill Samantha's Paddock
1 1981 Wynns BL
3 2019 Travis Earth BV Shiraz

Cheers Craig

Keen to hear what you think of the Samantha’s paddock - did you get them at auction ?

I just got 12x21 wynns BL cab

And trying to convince the wife to let me get 10x 24 grosset polish hill rieslings with some new found qantas points, pray for me

Steve, yes auction purchases. LH are having a bit of a lend with their top end wines, $200 for a 2017 SP, I got 3 for that price...hopefully provenance is sound
I have always wanted to have a look at this wine, and will line it up against a YY No. 1, MM Quintet and a Yeringberg Cabernets.

Nothing wrong with a dozen 2021 BL, space permitting, I'd buy 100 bottles...super wine and was being discounted to $19-20 by one of the chains a year or so ago.
Qantas FF points, I have plenty of them, but largely useless these days to the point of being a scam, look at what happened yesterday with that airline and over the last decade since the dwarf has been in charge.
You might as well use them for buying wine. I've been trying to get flights points plus pay...no deal so far, so have booked with someone else cheaper.

Cheers Craig

[SipAndANibble]

Yeah I hear you, start with the Rieslings etc first, then into Chardonnays, lighter reds Pinots an Grenache, and then finish with cabs and Shiraz’s. youngest to oldest.

I’m glad I was on point with the cheese platter hahaha it seemed like the go !

That sounds like pretty good value on those auction purchases. I haven’t dabbled much with auctions, mostly just direct from mailing lists and wineries directly thus far. What auction sites do you use out of interest? And any tips on how to find bargains?

I got the BL Cab for just under 30 a bottle which is pretty reasonable from cellar door.co , I said to the Wynns guy at the tasting, it’s amazing that they can make so much of it and at such a good price too.

The Yarra yerings were interesting too, he was saying the one is the Bordeaux blend, the two is more GSM southern rhone style from memory.

The grosset polish hill is on sale atm on qantas with points and a 25% discount on points, which are at a better rate then paying cash which qantas wine prices are not great to start with. I mostly just flip credit cards for free bonus points and stack them up. People say the best value is in flight upgrades for value for points but qantas just halved the value of them all which is no good !

Cheers,
Steve

[WAwineguy]

People say the best value is in flight upgrades for value for points but qantas just halved the value of them all which is no good !

Not really. The value dropped by about 20%, and they increased their "carrier charges" somewhat - which shouldn't exist in the first place, but the customer has no bargaining power.

Upgrades are definitely the best use of Qantas points. Buying wine costs around 150-200 points per dollar, whereas upgrades from Economy to Business cost around 20-40 points per dollar.

[ticklenow1]

3 x 2024 Vinya Vella Old Bush Vine Grenache
3 x 2022 Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay
Wendouree order, 3 of all the reds and 6 Cab Malbecs. But we ended up with no Malbec and 9 Cab Malbec. Not worried as Cab Malbec our favourite.
3 x 2024 Tyrrell’s 4 Acre Shiraz
3 x 2024 Tyrrell’s 8 Acre Shiraz

Cheers
Ian

[SipAndANibble]

How is the 4 and 8 acre Shiraz from Tyrrell’s? Have had my eye on it

Also for better or worse convinced the wife to let me get the 10x 24 grosset polish hill Rieslings. Understand it may not be the best use of points, but I get them free through credit card bonuses and don’t have any flights to upgrade ATM so it’s fine

[jminas]

After last nights announcement, jumped on and purchased a 3 pack of the 2024 Thistledown This Charming Man Grenache. Lets see what the hype is all about.

[ticklenow1]

How is the 4 and 8 acre Shiraz from Tyrrell’s? Have had my eye on it

Also for better or worse convinced the wife to let me get the 10x 24 grosset polish hill Rieslings. Understand it may not be the best use of points, but I get them free through credit card bonuses and don’t have any flights to upgrade ATM so it’s fine

Both are excellent but the 4 Acres is exceptional. I have only just received an allocation of both so quite happy. Have only just got into Hunter Shiraz the last 5 - 10 years but only really buying Tyrrell’s and Mount Pleasant.

Cheers
Ian

[Beachy]

12 x 2024 Jeanneret Big Fine Girl Riesling