February 2011. What have you been buying

[Jay60A]

Some keen prices have made me return to my roots (£12 and £18pb) in a rapid kick-off for the month:

Saltram No 1 Shiraz 2002 x 12
Colonial Estate The Exile Shiraz 2005 x 12

[Mahmoud Ali]

Ooh, that's an excellent price for the Saltram No.1., the equivalent of C$20. I had been thinking of getting some '01 Saltrams for C$30 (£18) but after finding some 2001 Clos du Mont-Olivet, Chateauneuf-du-Pape for C$23 (about £14.50) it was too good to resist. I was told that the importer is flogging the stuff to make more room for new stock.

12x 2001 Clos du Mont-Olivet
6x N/V Lustau "Los Arcos" Solera Reserve Amontillado, Sherry (C$18-apparently at retailer cost!)
2x 1989 Giacomo Borgogno Riserva Borolo (a real find at an inexplicable price of C$63/£40)

Bargains continue to put a dent in my pocketbook.

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

[Mike Hawkins]

2002 Paul Bara Special Club

[bacchaebabe]

Just bought a bit at Langtons:
1 * 86 Hill of Grace
1 * 86 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz
1 * 86 Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse
3 * 86 Wynns John Riddoch
3 * 86 J. Touchias Moulin Touchais Anjou
2 * 71 J. Touchias Moulin Touchais Anjou

You may notice a theme here. It's our 25th anniversay in May so took the opportunity to buy up. I also have about half of my friends turning 40 this year and I can see the prices for anything 1971 already going up quickly.

BTW, for anyone that knows Lisa, please don't mention this. LOL.

[Mike Hawkins]

2 * 71 J. Touchias Moulin Touchais Anjou

I like this particular vintage.

[bacchaebabe]

Excellent - I've never had it before so I'm hoping it will be nice. Good to hear the vintage is OK. There is someone selling it in Oz retail too but a bit more than what I got it at auction.

[Chuck]

After loading up the cellar with some very good wines over the past few years I've been banished from the shops and auctions unless I self fund ie sell before I buy. At least there is plenty of good stuff for many years so I'm now looking for good everyday quaffers. From those great guys at Thorn-Clarke who box well above their weght:

2007 Quartage x 12
2009 Cabernet cleanskin x 12
2010 Riesling x 6

Now all I have to do is sell so if you are interested in some well aged well cellared reds PM me eg 1990 Grange.

Chuck

[Rick Morcom]

3 * Pierro 2009 Chardonay
3 * Woodlands 2009 Chloe Chardonay
6 * Tim Adams 2006 Riesling

[xsorxpire]

2 * 06 Hillside shiraz
an 05 Tim Adams Riesling
2 * 06 Tim Adams Aberfeldy
1 06 Chateuneuf-du-pape Appelation. (My first bottle of that fancy french stuff) Is it any good?

[Michael McNally]

5 x 05 (museum) Burge Family Winemakers 'Olive Hill' SGM (tried this at Restaurant II last weekend and loved it)
2 x 08 (current vintage) BFW 'Olive hill' SGM
5 x various other BFW wines to check out their other blends and a couple of ports

(though I am going to wait for a month or so before I get them delivered - too hot at the moment)

[redwine]

Could not resist......

1 x Henschke Hill of Grace 1987
3 x Hardys Cabernet Sauvignon Thomas Hardy 1993

1 x Chateau Margaux 1958
1 x Chateau Angelus 1972
1 x Chateau Angelus 1987
1 x Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 1992
1 x Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1993
1 x Chateau Figeac 1994
1 x Chateau Lafleur 1996
1 x Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1997 (Magnum)
1 x Lamarche Vosne Romanée La Grande Rue Grand Cru 1966

1 x Mauro Veglio Barbera D'Alba 1995
6 x Castello di Rampolla Sammarco 2000

1 x Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Wehlener Sonnenuhr 1999

1 x Club Batonnage 2008


We recently had a little tasting where we opened some older wines. Below please find a picture and some comments:

IMG_2237.jpg

1950 Hallauer (Swiss / unknown winery): Colour almost completely gone, drinkable but not very pleasant.

1959 Chateau Beausite (France / Bordeaux): still a perfect dark colour, but very herbal nose, bitter note of spices, a bit moldy, almost not drinkable.

1961 Franco Fiorina Barolo (Italy / Piedmont): Pale, brownish colour, fruity bouquet, rich and complex, notes of raspberry and anise, very long finish. The wine got better and better the longer the bottle was open.

1962 Leroy Meursault (France / Burgundy): Golden colour, apple and honey flavours. Elegant white wine with a great structure and a long finish.

1966 Leroy Avenay (France / Burgundy): The best wine of the evening. Ruby colour, deliciously rich flavour with wonderful notes of cherries and berries. Long and powerful finish - a great wine.

1976 Chateau Brane Cantenac (France / Bordeaux): Good colour, spicy, leathery nose, soft tannins and a long velvety rich finish - very good stuff.

1983 Volker Metzger Bockenheimer Grafenstück Beerenauslese: Clear, golden color. Aromas of tropical fruits, not too sweet, fat and rich and easy drinking.

2000 Castello di Rampolla Sammarco (Italy / Tuscany): Dark colour, good nose of dried cherries and tobacco. Rich and smooth finish.

Cheers and happy drinking.......

[jafa]

OK. As usual I'm the victim of wine-hype , this time that around the 2009 German Reislings.
So, a modest, the first purchase for 2011:
2x 2009 Schloss Lieser Braunberger Juffer Kabinett
2x 2009 Dr Loosen Urziger Wurtzgarten Kabinett
2x 2009 Donnhoff Oberhausen Leistenburg Kabinett

Which prompts the question "Are you out there Eurocentric? Don't recall any postings lately.
And, any comments on the 09 vintage product?"

cheers jafa
1 edit to correct mis-spelling of "eurocentric". duh!

[Hacker]

Could not resist......
1 x Lamarche Vosne Romanée La Grande Rue Grand Cru 1966

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I think this was a 1er cru wine?

Sure it doesn't stop it tasting great though, it being right next to la Tache. Royal soil.

[Loztralia]

It's always difficult to post in this thread after redwine's latest envy-inspiring haul!

Still, after a few cellar door trips in recent weeks I have acquired:
1x 2008 Balgownie Estate Shiraz
1x 2008 Capercaillie Chambourcin
1x 2008 Capercaillie Semillon
1x 2009 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir
2x 2008 Eldridge Estate of Red Hill Pinot Noir
1x 2008 Giant Steps Sexton Pinot Noir
2x 2002 Houghton Jack Mann (cleanskin)
2x 2008 Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir
1x 2010 Pepper Tree Limited Release Hunter Valley Semillon
1x 2008 Pepper Tree The Gravels Shiraz Viognier
1x 2007 Stonier Windmill Pinot Noir
2x MV Tatler Sparkling Shiraz
1x 2008 Tatler The Sticky
2x 2008 Ten Men Shiraz
2x 2008 Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Pinot Noir
1x 2007 Tower Estate Hunter Valley Shiraz
2x 2003 Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.1
1x 2006 Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.2
1x 2007 Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No.3

[Thommo]

me dear old da sent me a 6 pack of Lazy ballerina SV for my birthday.
otherwise, got a couple of cases of Neagles Rock cleanskin shiraz cab as a weekday quaffer

[Craig(NZ)]

Well I have put a good dent in the cellar lately and it's the smallest it has been for over a decade so i bought 1 bottle of 07 Unison Selection just so I can be the proud owner of every vintage made. I was thinking of a 08 Unison Syrah for the same reason but not sure I have the motivation to continue that.

Saving my dosh for next month. Te Mata releases and hopefully Puriri Hills releases if they get around to setting a release date (seems they are in no rush)

Am thinking of doing a 10 week vertical of Unison Selection this winter. Every friday night whack the cork off one vintage sequentially - one after the other. And have a 10 year vertical of Eileen Hardy Shiraz to drink too. Why do we collect verticals again? They are pretty impractical things!

[cuttlefish]

A quick jaunt in Margaret River over the past 5 days saw us pick up a number of different chardies.
Woodlands Chloe 09
Pierro 09
Cape Grace 07
Were Estate 08

So, so much good wine over there.

[xsorxpire]

6 * 08 Kay bros Block 6
6 * 08 Kay bros Hillside Shiraz.

[Michael McNally]

Am thinking of doing a 10 week vertical of Unison Selection this winter. Every friday night whack the cork off one vintage sequentially - one after the other. And have a 10 year vertical of Eileen Hardy Shiraz to drink too. Why do we collect verticals again? They are pretty impractical things!

Hi Craig
Would you go backwards (youngest to oldest) or vice versa?

I thought verticals were for "collection" value. Like having 500 Phantom comics you never read.

Six is my longest vertical - Marius 02-07

Cheers

Michael

[xsorxpire]

Am thinking of doing a 10 week vertical of Unison Selection this winter. Every friday night whack the cork off one vintage sequentially - one after the other. And have a 10 year vertical of Eileen Hardy Shiraz to drink too. Why do we collect verticals again? They are pretty impractical things!

Hi Craig
Would you go backwards (youngest to oldest) or vice versa?

I thought verticals were for "collection" value. Like having 500 Phantom comics you never read.

Six is my longest vertical - Marius 02-07

Cheers

Michael

I have 04-08 Kay brothers Block six.
Had 96 -02 Richmond grove Cabernet, but drank a couple out of the middle recently after reallising i may just be wasting wine.
If i were drinking a vertical i would want them all open at the same time and drink tasting size amounts of all of them until i found them to taste the best for my palate.
Then i would have a healthy glass of that wine.
I would serve the wine so i had control.
But i am a noobie and they are my wines.

[rens]

Am thinking of doing a 10 week vertical of Unison Selection this winter. Every friday night whack the cork off one vintage sequentially - one after the other. And have a 10 year vertical of Eileen Hardy Shiraz to drink too. Why do we collect verticals again? They are pretty impractical things!

Hi Craig
Would you go backwards (youngest to oldest) or vice versa?

I thought verticals were for "collection" value. Like having 500 Phantom comics you never read.

Six is my longest vertical - Marius 02-07

Cheers

Michael

I have 04-08 Kay brothers Block six.
Had 96 -02 Richmond grove Cabernet, but drank a couple out of the middle recently after reallising i may just be wasting wine.
If i were drinking a vertical i would want them all open at the same time and drink tasting size amounts of all of them until i found them to taste the best for my palate.
Then i would have a healthy glass of that wine.
I would serve the wine so i had control.
But i am a noobie and they are my wines.

Yes, each to their own. I would prefer the vertical in one night too. But if that was not an option, one a week would be great.

[Craig(NZ)]

Hi Craig
Would you go backwards (youngest to oldest) or vice versa?

I thought verticals were for "collection" value. Like having 500 Phantom comics you never read.

Six is my longest vertical - Marius 02-07

Cheers

Michael

Probably oldest to youngest. Though there is always debate that is my preference from experience. I haven't gone past 10 years for any vertical yet. Tastes change. I do have broken verticals that go longer and complete sets that aren't that big yet. I may still do the unison vertical in one hit though I have been to a vertical of this before (8 vintages) so perhaps the value to me of it is less. Could be better value knowing you have a bottle every friday night to look forward to for 10 weeks.

[Mike Hawkins]

Some keen prices have made me return to my roots (£12 ) in a rapid kick-off for the month:

Saltram No 1 Shiraz 2002 x 12

Jay,

I had a mate grab me two dozen at that price. They'll make nice household quaffers !

Mike

[Chuck]

12 x Mike Press 2009 Cabernet from Gavin. One to try tonight and the rest for the cellar for thr long haul. The 09 MP merlot is is pretty good as well. Not your normal woosy merlot with plenty of fruit depth and flavours.

Chuck

[monghead]

6x 2009 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais-Villages Château de Thulon
6x 2009 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais Morgon Les Charmes
6x 2008 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais Morgon Côte du Py Reserve
6x 2008 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais Morgon Côte du Py Javernieres

Cheers,

Monghead.

[calm]

2 x Clonakilla Hilltops 2009 (Drank one Saturday. Great shiraz lots of substance and gathered refinement and improved nose as time wore on, although was pretty good initially after about a 15 min decant).
2 x Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2004
2 x Stanton Killen Shiraz Durif 2007 (this one got me curious when I saw it and decided to take a plunge).

[Ricardo]

1 x 1986 Grange ( fingers crossed)
2 x 1997 Langhi Ghrani Shiraz ( yummy)
1 x Black Puma 2000 Shiraz ( yummy yummy)
6 x 2008 Majella Shiraz
6 x Bowen estate 2008 ( really nice)
12 x Schilds Estate Shiraz 2008
6 x Penny Hill Malpas Merlot
6 Chapel Hills Cab Sav 2008 ( very nice).

I apologise I have a limited expression of taste . Need to attend a wine appereciation course.

Not allowed to bu any more till March.

Happy Drinking.
Regards Ricardo

[Michael R]

A mixture of auction & retail this week:

98 Charles Melton Shiraz
09 Collector Marked Tree Shiraz (i'm basically stockpiling in case it runs out, bloody awards!)
Some 09 Italian wines - nebbiolos (cant remember the names, but will post tatsing notes)
09 Sorrenberg Gamay

Cheers
Michael

[Mike Hawkins]

2002 Dom Perignon (750s and magnum)
2002 Billiot (champagne)

[cuttlefish]

20 beers
Pack of Marlborough Lights

WTF !?