Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[phillisc]

Ian, one of the reasons I am looking at MV and Blewett Springs Shiraz, great wines, agreeable to the palate and attractive price points across diverse styles.
Cheers Craig

[JamieAdelaide]

I have a modest collection of Burgundy and despite outrageous prices I refuse to sell. Three bottle over the last week or so would amount to $4000 to replace via Aussie retail ( current vintages ).

I wish I had invested all my capacity in Burgundy whilst living in Hong Kong. Tax free gains and exponential returns! Well I bet if I did, our current government would have found motivation to tax it, as they have or are leaning to elsewhere.

There’s a curse to owning wines you paid $100-200 for and that cost many thousands a bottle now. It’s not exclusive to Burgundy ( though mostly ).

- The risk of opening a corked or premoxed bottle.

- Who do you drink great Burgundy with? Many won’t appreciate it. Living in Hong Kong I’d drink it weekly or many times weekly. Everyone loved burgundy had the means and had the access to Burgundy at a fraction of Aussie prices.

- You know it ain’t worth it and it makes you feel poor! Who drinks all this wine you paid $100 fo that sells for many thousands? Why hasn’t my wage kept up! More tongue in cheek but Burgundy is a bizarre commodity.

- Some regions at the top end are very cerebral wines. I’d argue Piedmont more so than Burgundy for differing reasons. But you have to be in the right “mood” to drink these wines. Burgundy lovers may argue with me here a perhaps that’s just the Piedmont tragic in me, but open a top Burgundy and you want to coax the best out of it. Preparation, food, company ( hahaha or no company and being sneakily selfish ).

A few days ago I gave my daughter a glass of Sunbury Chardonnay. She didn’t finish the wine. She spied a Montrachet a few days later and asked if she could try that. She sat on a glass for an hour commenting on how amazing the wine was in every respect. It was an interesting reaction and the first time I’ve seen her opine as if an epiphany. No such reaction to Grange etc. Not a bid deal I just found it interesting- and I did say don’t get hooked you can’t afford it unless a rock star.

[felixp21]

haha, Jamie, you'd better get her off that stuff pronto!!!

I continue to sell parts of my Red Burgundy cellar, but I simply refuse to sell the high-end whites. Batard, Chevalier and Montrachet itself often provide a drinking experience utterly unmatched anywhere in the world. Luckily for me, I find most Montrachet wines too cerebral, indeed they are contemplative wines to absolutely admire rather than enjoyed. OTOH, both Chevalier and Batard provide a pleasure unmatched anywhere in the wine world, including Burgundy reds.

In general, the reds I sell are those darlings adored by the labelists, rather than wines that are simply stunning. Rousseau, de Vogue and Mugnier immediately come to mind, I'm now completely out of both those Domaines.

Matrot is that middle-of-the-road producer who occasionally produces fabulous whites, but asking nearly $600 for a PC Meursault is a sure-fire way of turning the young drinker off the region.

Was in Bordeaux a couple of years ago, the arse has fallen out of that market. The region currently stores millions of bottles worth billions of dollars, and no real prospect of sales in any significant quantity. Like the Chapel street landlords who refuse to drop their rental prices and prefer to let the entire street be lined with unoccupied stores, (in order to maintain the valuation of the property), the Bordelaise hang on to this stock in order to charge their ridiculous prices for every new vintage.
Something will give in the next 5-10 years, and I can see a world where classified Bordeaux descends to prices from the mid-90's.

Burgundy is a much smaller market, and the top 10-20 producers will be sought out whatever the price, but I think every other Domaine will struggle to some degree over the next decade. It just isn't sustainable.

[Ian S]

A very interesting quandary on wine prices escalating way beyond what we paid, and way beyond our thoughts on what they are worth. Pure logic says to sell them, and buy more wine to replace them. We ought to be confident that we have the insight to end up with more wine that's at least as good, if not better.

For me I struggle to do that, on the basis that I bought the wine with the intention to drink it, so requires a change of mindset to reclassify it as a lucky investment. Fortunately the only remotely daft wine I have in that context is Burlotto Monvigliero. Bought for IIRC £30 a bottle. Now more than 10 times that price. I think I'll probably still drink it.

[JamieAdelaide]

A very interesting quandary on wine prices escalating way beyond what we paid, and way beyond our thoughts on what they are worth. Pure logic says to sell them, and buy more wine to replace them. We ought to be confident that we have the insight to end up with more wine that's at least as good, if not better.

For me I struggle to do that, on the basis that I bought the wine with the intention to drink it, so requires a change of mindset to reclassify it as a lucky investment. Fortunately the only remotely daft wine I have in that context is Burlotto Monvigliero. Bought for IIRC £30 a bottle. Now more than 10 times that price. I think I'll probably still drink it.

I had a quiet Burlotto Monvigliero 2009 with my wife a few months back. She didn’t like it. Too stalky.

That’s another quandary of pricy wine. What if those who claim half your cellar don’t like them?

I thought it a good wine. Polarising style especially in riper 09.

[JamieAdelaide]

haha, Jamie, you'd better get her off that stuff pronto!!!

Yeah she may cry inter-generational inequality!

Why can’t young people drink Grand Cru Burgundy?

I might pay her to go up the road to our local Green’s Senator and whine about it.

[Ian S]

A very interesting quandary on wine prices escalating way beyond what we paid, and way beyond our thoughts on what they are worth. Pure logic says to sell them, and buy more wine to replace them. We ought to be confident that we have the insight to end up with more wine that's at least as good, if not better.

For me I struggle to do that, on the basis that I bought the wine with the intention to drink it, so requires a change of mindset to reclassify it as a lucky investment. Fortunately the only remotely daft wine I have in that context is Burlotto Monvigliero. Bought for IIRC £30 a bottle. Now more than 10 times that price. I think I'll probably still drink it.

I had a quiet Burlotto Monvigliero 2009 with my wife a few months back. She didn’t like it. Too stalky.

That’s another quandary of pricy wine. What if those who claim half your cellar don’t like them?

I thought it a good wine. Polarising style especially in riper 09.

No rush to do anything. 2009 still young, and a second bottle in 5-10 years can be a better decision point for selling/keeping. Even then, I'm sure you'd be fine taking them to offlines etc. if it still tastes stalky to her at that point.

[JamieAdelaide]

Drinking my 2009 Barolos now . Will hold on the Conternos.

Just pulled the cork on a 2011 Roagna Barbaresco Asili for tonight. An aromatic abyss.

[Chuck]

Howard Park 2013 Leston Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Decanted 3 hours prior to service. Typical MR blackberry and mulberry with well integrated oak. Powdery fine tannins. Good balance and went well with a grade 8/9 Wagyu chuck eye roll steak (reverse seared). Still a pup. Will go at least 5-10+ more years.

[Sean]

Chalmers Nero d’Avola 22 - Drunk a few bottles of this, but not done a note on it since last year. They have been producing it for a while now. Imported the vines in 2000, first made the wine in 2009. Tank fermented, this is all about the fruit. Wild berries, cherry, aniseed, herbs and soft, savoury tannins. Just getting even better with a bit of age on it. - 8/4/26

Pfeiffer Riesling 24 - Free run juice and tank fermented. A pale straw colour. Limes, citrus blossom, green apple and a noticeable kero/petrol note. Likely the result of a fast, warmer vintage. I like it, adds some interest. Feels clean and fresh with lots of natural acidity and a dry finish. - 9/4/26

Chalmers Montevecchio Bianco 23 - Heathcote. A field blend of 46% Ribolla Gialla, 31% Vermentino, 10% Falanghina, 6% Pecorino, 4% Moscato Giallo, 3% Ansonica. Whole bunch, wild yeast and tank fermented. Straw colour and flowery aromas. Peach, apple, citrus, almond. Clean and fresh with some texture and a dry finish. - 10/4/26

Chalmers Felicitas 19 - A method traditional sparkling Fiano. Sourced from their Heathcote vineyard. Got 37 months on lees in the bottle and zero dosage. Gold colour and a steady, fine bead. Nice florals. Brioche, citrus, butterscotch, nuts and figs. Zippy acidity in the mouth, feels very fresh with a dry finish. - 11/4/26

Chapel Hill The MV Bush Vine Grenache 24 - This vintage feels mid-weight, but a little more dark fruited than the last few previous ones. A crimson red colour and fragrant. Cherry, dark plums, dried herbs and spice. Fresh, vibrant acidity matching the fruit intensity. Robust and polished (not rustic) with smooth, soft tannins. - 16/4/26

Brand’s Laira Blockers Cabernet Sauvignon 24 - I think they have improved this in recent years, feels smoother and noticeably fresher anyway. Usually gets a mix of oak. A lush purple colour. Cassis, mulberry, mocha, mint and spice. Nicely balanced with moderate cedar oak and powdery tannin. - 17/4/26

Katnook Estate Chardonnay 22 - Old style Chardonnay. Coonawarra fruit, wild ferment, straight into the barrels. Got 7 months in French oak, some of it new. Yellow straw colour. Citrus, peach, cashew, oak spice and leesy/barrel influences. Loads of flavour on the palate with a little phenolics adding texture. - 18/4/26

Houghton Premium Release Chardonnay 24 - Margaret River. Light straw colour. Got French oak, but obviously some restraint so the fruit in this feels clean and pristine. Letting it warm up in the glass works best. Citrus, peach, nectarine and subtle oak spice/vanilla. Shows lees stirring influences, nicely balanced with fresh acidity. - 18/4/26