June 2017 Purchases

[mychurch]

After almost 11 years together, Trudi and i are getting married in Aug. Not flushed at the moment, so sold 48 bottles of wine to help pay for it. Money in the bank now and i promised myself a few cases for me and a few cases for the wedding, so for the wedding its

12 * 07 Shloss Leiser Kabbinet
6 * 07 Ansgar Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett
18 * 14 Francois Pinon Brut Vouvray
18 * 10 Chateau La Prade, Cote de Bordeaux

Trudis mother is flying in from Wagga Wagga and the German is for her (and my mother) - at home she drinks semi-sweet Moscato. I tasted 8 Natural Wine style sparklers before settling for the Pinon. Its richer than Champange, and a bit more vinous, without and of the wierd natural wine flavour. The La Prade is from a ripe year and as well as good fruit it has 15% alcohol - great for the BBQ and fine value at just under $20

For me
12 * 05 La Tour Haut Brion - last vintage made before they sold up and the grapes went into the 2nd wine of La Mission
12 * 16 Les Carmes Haut Brion

and a number of Bio/Natural wines. The most interesting of these is probably the '14 Pio Grand Batard, which is a red Languedoc wine that is a blend of Cabernet and Chenin. Hoping its a goodie..

[Ian S]

Bravo on the choice of fizz. Interesting and good value, should appeal to most if not all.

but more importantly - CONGRATULATIONS, and I hope the day is a wonderful start for many happy years of married life.

[Rossco]

6 * 2014 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard Drive Block Chardonnay
6 * 2013 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz - great quaffer!
1 * 1997 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon (A present for a special celebration. A chef friend of mine has been open for 20 years - opened in 1997)

[Con J]

Got an offer this morning with some amazing wines and just ordered.

1 X 2010 Batolo Mascarello - Barolo.
1 X 2000 Giacomo Conterno - Monfortino

Cheers Con.

[mychurch]

Busy month just got busier, with 2015 Burgundy getting allocated here by one of the big importers. Always a bit of a game of car and mouse - usually you over order knowing you won't get everything but occasionally you do.

This time it was
2* Le Chambertin Rousseau
1 * Clos St Jaques, Rousseau
1 * Chevry-Chambertin, Rousseau
1 * Richbourg, Grivot
1 * Echezeaux,Grivot
1 * Clos de Beze, Bruno Clair
1 * Clos St Jaques, Bruno Clair
2* Bonnes Marres, De Vougue

Only downer from the ordering was that I ordered Les Amoureuses from De Vougue and got the Bonnes Mares...saved 20 euro, but I think the premier Cru is a better wine.

Other shock was the final bill...the importer here has a few wines that never officially go in sale - Rousseau Clos de Beze for example - and the Grivot Richbourg is one of these. Checked up and the price is in line with En Primeur prices quoted in the U.K. but it takes the prize as the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever ordered retail - approx $1300 at current exchange rates...now wish I had sold a few extra bottles for the wedding...

[winetastic]

A few cheeky auction purchases:
x1 Domaine de Pallus Chinon Cabernet Franc 2007
x1 Cantina Bianchi Ghemme Nebbiolo 2001
x1 Marcarini Barolo 'Brunate' 2004

And because you can never have too many bottles of traditional Barolo:
x2 Cappellano Barolo Pie Rupestris 2012

[winetastic]

Got an offer this morning with some amazing wines and just ordered.

1 X 2010 Batolo Mascarello - Barolo.
1 X 2000 Giacomo Conterno - Monfortino

Cheers Con.

Nice

[sjw_11]

Not flushed at the moment

The next day...

but it takes the prize as the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever ordered retail - approx $1300 at current exchange rates...

Wow, I would love to be your definition of "not flushed"!!

Just kidding! In seriousness, congratulations!

[phillisc]

Yes​ indeed
Here I am contemplating whether l can shelve out that amount for Wendouree...but $1300 would be 2 cases not 1 bloody bottle!!
Cheers
Craig

[Ian S]

A few cheeky auction purchases:
x1 Domaine de Pallus Chinon Cabernet Franc 2007
x1 Cantina Bianchi Ghemme Nebbiolo 2001
x1 Marcarini Barolo 'Brunate' 2004

And because you can never have too many bottles of traditional Barolo:
x2 Cappellano Barolo Pie Rupestris 2012

Cool - you got the Ghemme
Hope it's a good 'un.

[michel]

Got an offer this morning with some amazing wines and just ordered.

1 X 2010 Batolo Mascarello - Barolo.
1 X 2000 Giacomo Conterno - Monfortino

Cheers Con.

Am jealous!
Get some for me!

[mychurch]

Yes​ indeed
Here I am contemplating whether l can shelve out that amount for Wendouree...but $1300 would be 2 cases not 1 bloody bottle!!
Cheers
Craig

Can't disagree with that...As well as getting married in Aug the contract work I have done for the last few years is going to end in 1st Nov, so as well as a wedding bill and a wine bill I have to factor in impending unemployment...that allows me to stand up and proudly proclaim that I am wine collector with a serious addiction...already working out in my head how many bottles of Wendouree I can afford this year...

Interesting point is that the more expensive the wines you buy, the more valuable they become. The 400 euro Rousseau wines could be sold tomorrow for double and I suspect the $1300 Grivot will soon cost 2K plus...Tonight we had a few simpler wines that gave just as much pleasure for a fraction of the cost

[felixp21]

Busy month just got busier, with 2015 Burgundy getting allocated here by one of the big importers. Always a bit of a game of car and mouse - usually you over order knowing you won't get everything but occasionally you do.

This time it was
2* Le Chambertin Rousseau
1 * Clos St Jaques, Rousseau
1 * Chevry-Chambertin, Rousseau
1 * Richbourg, Grivot
1 * Echezeaux,Grivot
1 * Clos de Beze, Bruno Clair
1 * Clos St Jaques, Bruno Clair
2* Bonnes Marres, De Vougue

Only downer from the ordering was that I ordered Les Amoureuses from De Vougue and got the Bonnes Mares...saved 20 euro, but I think the premier Cru is a better wine.

Other shock was the final bill...the importer here has a few wines that never officially go in sale - Rousseau Clos de Beze for example - and the Grivot Richbourg is one of these. Checked up and the price is in line with En Primeur prices quoted in the U.K. but it takes the prize as the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever ordered retail - approx $1300 at current exchange rates...now wish I had sold a few extra bottles for the wedding...

Grivot Richebourg 2015 is one of the best three wines I saw in a couple of trips over there. I thought it better than the Rousseau Chambertin, although the latter is most scribe's "Wine of the Vintage"
You won't be disappointed with any of those wines, all are absolutely superb.

[felixp21]

Picked up a case of Pichon Lalance 2010 in a special deal in HK yesterday for 10,800HKD. That is 3,000HKD cheaper than the 2016 EP price of the same wine. After the 2010 purchase, I immediately cancelled my 2016 Pichon order.

There a lot of deals floating around HK and Europe like this ATM, it really makes you wonder why anyone would consider EP purchases any more. The Pichon was my only EP purchase, so now I have none!! (and happy about it)

Is the 2016 Pichon a better wine than the 2010? I thought they were both fantastic, but it is hard to compare a barrel sample to a six year old wine. I think in the long run they will be almost identical.

[Rossco]

6 * 2014 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard Drive Block Chardonnay
6 * 2013 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz - great quaffer!
1 * 1997 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon (A present for a special celebration. A chef friend of mine has been open for 20 years - opened in 1997)

Dam expensive June again

2 x 2009 Wirra Wirra Angelus Cab
6 x Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz (yes more)
1 x 2013 Mount Horrocks Riesling
2x 2012 Woodlands Chloe Chardonnay
1 x 2013 Fraser Gallop Parterre Cab

[Sigmamupi]

Yes​ indeed
Here I am contemplating whether l can shelve out that amount for Wendouree...but $1300 would be 2 cases not 1 bloody bottle!!
Cheers
Craig

Can't disagree with that...As well as getting married in Aug the contract work I have done for the last few years is going to end in 1st Nov, so as well as a wedding bill and a wine bill I have to factor in impending unemployment...that allows me to stand up and proudly proclaim that I am wine collector with a serious addiction...already working out in my head how many bottles of Wendouree I can afford this year...

Interesting point is that the more expensive the wines you buy, the more valuable they become. The 400 euro Rousseau wines could be sold tomorrow for double and I suspect the $1300 Grivot will soon cost 2K plus...Tonight we had a few simpler wines that gave just as much pleasure for a fraction of the cost

The last Australian retail offer I could find for Grivot Richebourg was $2200 for the 2013 vintage so in context, the price is not too bad. Importer margins, retail margins, customs duty and the punitive wine tax courtesy of Peter Costello make most high end wines here significantly overpriced. Btw, what were the simpler wines you tried? Worth picking up if they are available here given you are prepared to rate them for enjoyment in the same breath as Rousseau grand crus.

[JamieBahrain]

Good for you mychurch ! Looking forward to a TN.

Considering the hobbies of friends , wine collecting even at the highest end can be relatively cheaper e.g.: vintage cars, racing motor bikes , flying or even one mate who collects wives .

[Dragzworthy]

Found a place in Singapore that has back vintages on good Aussie wines, very surprised and couldn't resist:

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Mount Mary Quintet 2003
Elderton Command 2005
D'Arenberg Dead Arm 2006
Grant Burge Meshach 2001
Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz 2005

[felixp21]

bottle of Denis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin 2012 tonight, watching two cracking games of AFL. Great to see the Doggies get up, they remind me of my Hawks in 2015, scraping thru lots of H and A games then winning the flag (same in 2016 but we didn't peak Finals time)
Anyway, a beautiful wine, lots of cherries, anise, earth and flowers. Big and bold, but great focus. A top Villages for that vintage.
Personally, I would (and have!!) drink this wine young, or "on the fruit" as the French would say, but I am confident it will age two decades if that is what you want.
Got this en primeur in Hong Kong for $55 a bottle, scary value when you think about it.
Very highly recommended, certainly a 92 point wine (for what that is worth hehe)

[mychurch]

The last Australian retail offer I could find for Grivot Richebourg was $2200 for the 2013 vintage so in context, the price is not too bad. Importer margins, retail margins, customs duty and the punitive wine tax courtesy of Peter Costello make most high end wines here significantly overpriced. Btw, what were the simpler wines you tried? Worth picking up if they are available here given you are prepared to rate them for enjoyment in the same breath as Rousseau grand crus.

Horses for courses as the old saying goes. The top Burgs i bought will be at their best if 10-30 years and while they have class, refinement and a sence of terrior, they miss the fun factor that young wines have. In that vain an interesting, new, young white can give an excitement that older mature wines cant - the opposite if also true, the mindboggling complexity of some older wines cant be approached by anything young.

Tonight in Leiden we sat out on one of the canals, ate take away pizza and drank some wine from plastic glasses while watching the annual Peurbakkentocht ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtC73sT_NVE ). In the context the 2015 Colheita Branco from Casa de Passarella was great - oily texture, lime, stones and stone fruit. Portugal produces some great wine bargains and this is one - about 8 euro here. Later we ended up sitting outside a new cafe that has a secret wine book that is full of Natural wines. We ordered a crisp, brusied apple 2015 Beaufort Freres from Andre Beaufort. Beauforts wines were on the world famous Noma's list and here we find a baby version in a cafe where everyone will drink beer and G&T..35 euro a bottle from the list, so probably 15 in a shop. No its not Rousseau, but his wines would not fit sitting out with friends at midnight on a hot summer night.

[JamieBahrain]

Auction highlights tonight for me were St Henri 96 and 98 for a dinner next year. Happy to pay well for the professionally stored bottles with both north of $100 with commission.

Few other odds and ends - a St Hugo magnum from 91 and some older rieslings which are just awesome summer quaffers here in HKG.

[Chuck]

Just ordered 12 x Mike Press 2015 Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. Tried a bottle of the 09 from a forgotten box in the cellar. Thought after the last bottle it needed more sleep time. And wow has it blossomed! A totally different wine with black fruits right up there and the blackberry and mulberry prominent (which I just love). It doesn't taste like the same wine. Rediculous price.

Apparently their wines are going up $5 per case from 1/7/17. Should be per bottle to reflect the quality but I'm not arguing.

Carl

[phillisc]

A few from the TWE Adelaide event last night
Wynns Michael 2013
Lindermans St George 2014
Wolf Blass LC Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2014
Seppelts Drumborg Riesling 2016

Cheers
Craig

[Sigmamupi]

Shared an order of 2012 Fuligni and 2012 Costanti brunello (to arrive mid-July) with some mates. As it happens, one of them bought a bottle of 2006 Fuligni brunello to dinner last Friday night and its performance reinforced our decision to buy. The 2006 was spicy and savoury and in a beautiful place, particularly with some lamb with Moroccan flavours.

[Sigmamupi]

Got an offer this morning with some amazing wines and just ordered.

1 X 2010 Batolo Mascarello - Barolo.
1 X 2000 Giacomo Conterno - Monfortino

Cheers Con.

If it is from the same list I saw, the price for the 2000 Monfortino was about what I expect the 2010 to be later this year when released, so you have got 10 years ageing as a bonus! I only have a bottle each of 2002 and 2004 Monfortino bought in Rome a few years back before the price rocketed and carefully packed in hold luggage to bring home. There were two bottles of the 2004 but one was drunk with a winemaker who grows neb - very primary wine as you would expect but nonetheless a great wine as you would also expect.

[Con J]

Got an offer this morning with some amazing wines and just ordered.

1 X 2010 Batolo Mascarello - Barolo.
1 X 2000 Giacomo Conterno - Monfortino

Cheers Con.

If it is from the same list I saw, the price for the 2000 Monfortino was about what I expect the 2010 to be later this year when released, so you have got 10 years ageing as a bonus! I only have a bottle each of 2002 and 2004 Monfortino bought in Rome a few years back before the price rocketed and carefully packed in hold luggage to bring home. There were two bottles of the 2004 but one was drunk with a winemaker who grows neb - very primary wine as you would expect but nonetheless a great wine as you would also expect.

Yes probably the same list, there was a 2005 for the same price.

Agree it's a great wine.
The 2004 I had (again thanks to a friend) was one of last year's wine of the year.

Cheers Con.

[JamieBahrain]

Shared an order of 2012 Fuligni and 2012 Costanti brunello (to arrive mid-July) with some mates. As it happens, one of them bought a bottle of 2006 Fuligni brunello to dinner last Friday night and its performance reinforced our decision to buy. The 2006 was spicy and savoury and in a beautiful place, particularly with some lamb with Moroccan flavours.

Fulini Brunello always performs well in the blind Bruenllo tastings we do in Hong Kong with bottle age 15 years + It's been a giant killer on more than one occasion I recall, pipping the best and certainly easily out performs many riservas- including its own from memory .

[phillisc]

12 Wynns 2015 Shiraz...tried this during the week and for S10 a relative bargain. Doesn't quite have the structure of the Chalambar, but happy to help the chains clear out EOFY surpluses.
Cheers
Craig

[Scotty vino]

12 Wynns 2015 Shiraz...tried this during the week and for S10 a relative bargain. Doesn't quite have the structure of the Chalambar, but happy to help the chains clear out EOFY surpluses.
Cheers
Craig

I saw this in my inbox last night just after it had finished.
dang it. Good value for sure. I had a 2012 the other night and it was punching way above its weight.
QPR? absolutely.

[mjs]

12 Wynns 2015 Shiraz...tried this during the week and for S10 a relative bargain. Doesn't quite have the structure of the Chalambar, but happy to help the chains clear out EOFY surpluses.
Cheers
Craig

Even better when you go through Cashrewards!! great value!!