The Auswine Forum

I don't think we have done this for a while, so it may be interesting to see how our direction and tastes have changed over the last few years, I know mine have in the last five. So, list your top five producers, not individual wines. Mine are:

Robert Chevillon
Fourrier
Rockford
Wendouree
Woodlands.

The top two show a massive shift to the slippery slope of Burgundy, something my wallet is struggling with! The others speak for themselves!

So, how are your cellars shaping up, and maybe you could mention how they have shifted in style over the last couple of years...

Nice listings mate.

Marius Wines 7.8%
Tyrrell's 7.7%
Hoddles Creek 6.1%
Head Wines 3.4%
Voyager Estate 3.3%
Gundog Estate 2.9%
Blue Poles 2.2%
Penfolds 1.9%
Wendouree 1.8%
De Iuliis 1.6%
Rockford 1.5%
Wynns Coonawarra Estate 1.5%
Burton McMahon 1.4%
By Farr 1.4%
Clonakilla 1.3%
Juniper Estate 1.3%
Majella 1.2%


Shiraz 32.8%
Pinot Noir 13.1%
Chardonnay 12.1%
Cabernet Sauvignon 8.2%
Red Bordeaux Blend 5.8%
Sémillon 3.9%
Riesling 3.4%
Shiraz Blend 3.2%
Nebbiolo 2.0%
Other - the rest

2014 0.5%
2013 10.6%
2012 20.6%
2011 8.1%
2010 16.7%
2009 10.9%
2008 11.1%
2007 4.5%
2006 5.5%
2005 4.1%
2004 2.2%
2003 0.2%
2002 0.7%
2001 1.1%
Older - the rest

JJ Prum
Schloss Lieser
Bouchard Pere et Fils
Clonakilla
Felton Road

Which in broad terms reflects the overall makeup of the cellar (JJ prum alone is more than 10% of it!)

Greenock Creek
Penfolds
Rockford
Wendouree
Mount Horrocks/Grosset (tie for 5th)

IF i counted the amount of cleanskin Riesling/Tempranillo I quaff from Crabtree it would look a little different.
As a general rule I don't lodge cleanskins into cellar tracker.

I mentioned to some friends on Wednesday that I was thinking of posting a very similar question myself!! Great minds..

For many collectors, first it's about points seeking, big reds and bigger whites, then with more exposure to great wine on a world scale, a gradual evolution into structure, balance, regionality and complexity. All roads can then so easily lead to Burgundy, with a few detours via the Mosel, Spain, Langhe and aged Bordeaux... mmm...

Not just the past few years, but my tastes are leaning towards exploring the myriad of styles across Europe. So much variety, and so much interest, often without the crazy pricetags associated with Burg and Bordeaux over here. Really want to explore more of Italy and Southern France, plus some of the lesser known regions of Spain and Portugal. I also enjoy finding good Oz and NZ producers doing interesting things a bit off the mainstream path, like Luke Lambert, Unico Zelo, Framingham, Pyramid Valley etc. More mainstream labels I have soft spots for are Tyrrells, Felton Road, Hoddles and Kumeu River. Trying to slowly increase my % of Champagne, Riesling and Chardonnay, but leaving it alone is never easy!!

But if money was no object, I'd be stocking up my cellar on Burgundy, Barolo, Barbaresco, some quality USA stuff and more good Champagne!

Have mentioned a few producers already, how about 5 regions I'm enjoying? Mosel, Jura, Langhe, Loire and Alsace.

Dom Perignon
Penfolds
Taittinger (all Comtes)
Rockford
Henschke

I'd never actually looked at this before. My list is going to look a bit different to everyone else's I think. The top two weren't a surprise but the next 3 were.

1) Hanging Rock (the en-primeur on the Heathcote shiraz has been a good deal over the years)
2) Leconfield (I keep getting offered the Cabernet at a really good price)
3) Taylors (The portuguese one)
4) Stanton & Killeen
5) Warres

Woodlands
Kalleske
Rockford
Seppelt
Wynns

1. Wynns
2. Tyrrell's
3. Seppelt
4. Blue Poles
5. Mt Pleasant

I'm not sure it entirely paints the correct picture of my drinking habits. Only one Riesling producer in my list - though I probably drink more Riesling than anything else. I do drink many young, so numbers not reflected in the cellar. Also my Riesling purchases are split across many producers.

Opposite is true with Semillon - I don't drink many young, and Semillon in the cellar would be dominated by Tyrrell's.

I did already buy a fair few Blue Poles wines, but their numbers swelled significantly with a few clearance deals last year.... I'm quite pleased about this as I love their wines.

The majority variety in my cellar is Cabernet (and blends) at about 30%, so I guess having Wynns number 1 is fair enough, though recent buying would be more MR than Coonawarra. Would love to have Woodlands in this list!

With regard to Shiraz, the highest represented region in my cellar is the Hunter Valley, so fair to see 2 producers in there.

Other major varieties represented after Cabernet are then Riesling, Shiraz (and blends), Semillon, then Nebbiolo coming in 5th but on a rocket, if only I had more money.

1. Rockford
2. Marius
3. Piero Benevelli
4. Blue Poles
5. Penfolds

I am new to this so no changes over the last 5 years.

TiggerK wrote:I mentioned to some friends on Wednesday that I was thinking of posting a very similar question myself!! Great minds..

For many collectors, first it's about points seeking, big reds and bigger whites, then with more exposure to great wine on a world scale, a gradual evolution into structure, balance, regionality and complexity. All roads can then so easily lead to Burgundy, with a few detours via the Mosel, Spain, Langhe and aged Bordeaux... mmm...

Not just the past few years, but my tastes are leaning towards exploring the myriad of styles across Europe. So much variety, and so much interest, often without the crazy pricetags associated with Burg and Bordeaux over here. Really want to explore more of Italy and Southern France, plus some of the lesser known regions of Spain and Portugal. I also enjoy finding good Oz and NZ producers doing interesting things a bit off the mainstream path, like Luke Lambert, Unico Zelo, Framingham, Pyramid Valley etc. More mainstream labels I have soft spots for are Tyrrells, Felton Road, Hoddles and Kumeu River. Trying to slowly increase my % of Champagne, Riesling and Chardonnay, but leaving it alone is never easy!!

But if money was no object, I'd be stocking up my cellar on Burgundy, Barolo, Barbaresco, some quality USA stuff and more good Champagne!

Have mentioned a few producers already, how about 5 regions I'm enjoying? Mosel, Jura, Langhe, Loire and Alsace.

This is probably me (perhaps not the point seeking part). I'm definitely in a primary stage in terms of palate development and general collecting.
I've dipped my toe into Italian wines and explored that a bit further with a visit to tuscany/chianti about a year ago.
To me it was a mind boggling/eye opening experience (would've bought a ton of super tuscans if the wallet and luggage space allowed).
I'm still a big fan of buying and tasting wine at the cellar door. For where I'm at in my wine journey it's still a very important part of the purchase
process and I always feel a little deflated when wine arrives via the postman, like a I missed out on a trip to a region or something.
There's nothing like getting the time to explore a region, taste wines, pick the brains of a wine maker and take a few deep breaths.

I've read the quote "all roads lead to burgundy" quite few times and it definitely has me intrigued and interested.
I have tried a handful of Bordeaux wines and was both impressed and not impressed. I'm sure in 10 years, based on what I've read here
and what seems to be the natural progression of all serious wine lovers, I'll be singing the praises of many European producers
as my Barossa fruit bombs lie unwanted in the back corner of the cellar.

Mike Hawkins wrote:Dom Perignon
Penfolds
Taittinger (all Comtes)
Rockford
Henschke

Seriously impressive Mike, then I suppose it all comes down to what you like irrespective of anything else.

Coonawarra is my 'Champagne or first growth if you like' with somewhere between 30-50% of total bottles

Wynns, then day light
Wendouree
Rockford
Seppelts
The Victorian experiment, (YY, MT Mary, Mt Ida, JH, Dalwhinnie, Craiglee, Passing Clouds, Summerfield, Sally's Paddock, Virgin Hills) 25% of total .

Like TORB, I don't count the obsession I have with Riesling...its my own little unregistered problem, from early 90s through to later years (the 2002 and 2012 vintages in particular) account over 100 dozen...probably if anything just stupid.

Great thread Hacker

Cheers
Craig

Penfolds
Rockford
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Seppeltsfield
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines

For me.

Penfolds, stopped buying a few years ago but lots of old stock.
Kay's, mostly Block 6.
Seppelt.
Rockford.
Wynns, mostly black label.

Thanks!

I haven't looked at this before, and I have a very SA red centric top ten. It is skewed a bit as I have lots of Teusner and St Hallet half bottles for those mid-week occasions. 57.8% of my wine across just 10 producers! Note to self, get some more diversity in the cellar. No more dozens. From anyone.

Marius Wines 10.1%
Wild Duck Creek 9.0%
Burge Family Winemakers 6.7%
Wynns Coonawarra Estate 5.6%
Noon 5.4%
Penfolds 4.8%
Majella 4.2%
Turkey Flat 4.2%
St Hallett 4.1%
Teusner 3.6%

My top holdings have actually tended to be either due to a mailing list (meaning its harder to buy and so I stock up) or because of cheap deals. The cheap deals really get me buying because it brings down the average cost of the whole excercise so much. If I wasnt chasing the crazy deals, I would probably see Lake's Folly & St Hallet's (love the Blackwell & Old Block) jump into replace Henschke & Lindemans.

Wendouree - followed this forum and went on an auction binge. Dont have any of the straight Shiraz though, couldnt justify the price jump.
Penfolds - Long the 389, & St Henri, with a sprinkling of RWT & Magill. Got some 407, but starting to think I might not continue this line.
Rockford - Lots of Rod & Spur & Rifle Range, trying to get on the full list. No Basket Press yet.
Henschke - Didnt mean to get here, but got some great deals on Mt Edelstone 2010 & 12 as well as their Keyneton Euphonium or Henry's Seven.
Lindemans - Its the Trio here. Was surprised a bit here, but got great deals for $35-38 each for the 2009 & the 2012 so went nuts.

By year
I only just started, so the hardest thing is getting this balanced too. Dont want to kill off my babies before they get old enough. I went really heavy 2012.
2004 1%
2005 3%
2006 2%
2007 1%
2008 2%
2009 12%
2010 18%
2011 15%
2012 31%
2013 10%
2014 3%

By type is also a bit unbalanced. Pinot is crying out for more attention...
Shiraz based 38%
Cabernet based 39%
Riesling 7%
Chardonnay 5%
Semillion 5%
Pinot Noir 3%
Grenache 3%
Malbec 1%
Sticky 1%

ads_11 wrote:1. Rockford
2. Marius
3. Piero Benevelli
4. Blue Poles
5. Penfolds

I am new to this so no changes over the last 5 years.

1-4: A scholar and a gentleman, shame about the Penfolds

winetastic wrote:

ads_11 wrote:1. Rockford
2. Marius
3. Piero Benevelli
4. Blue Poles
5. Penfolds

I am new to this so no changes over the last 5 years.

1-4: A scholar and a gentleman, shame about the Penfolds

Haha, just pipped Cullen by 2 bottes!

1. Hoddles Creek 8.4%
2. Wynns 5.3%
3. Blue Poles 4.4%
4. McWilliam's Mount Pleasant 4.2%
5. Marius 3.5%
5. Cape Mentelle 3.5%

and just as an aside

Australia 71.4%
France 12.2%
New Zealand 4.2%
Austria 4.0%
Germany 3.6%

Hunter Valley holds top 4 in my cellar:
1: Mount Pleasant (9.9%)
2: Meerea Park (7.4%)
3: Tyrrell's (4.0%)
4: Marsh Estate (3.7%)
5: Head Wines (3.7%)

Mount pleasant is a bit skewed as most of my bbq wine is Philip Shiraz and Elizabeth Sémillon.

Looking by variety:
1: Shiraz 38.7%
2: Cabernet Sauvignon 18.9%
3: Nebbiolo 7.4%
4: Shiraz Blend 6.9%
5: Sémillon 6.9%
5: Red Bordeaux Blend 5.7%

My mission right now is to push Nebbiolo (mostly Piedmont) up to 25% at least.

Cactus wrote:Wendouree - followed this forum and went on an auction binge. Dont have any of the straight Shiraz though, couldnt justify the price jump.

Hey Cactus, have you signed up to the Wendouree mailing list yet? You will get the shiraz at $50 or close to that price, maybe not this year but in a year or so. Everyone who signs up seems to get something, and time moves them up the pecking order, provided they order a balanced spread.

Tigger's point is an interesting one to explore - one that perhaps deserves a thread title itself - "What regions are represented in your cellar". Not just a bottle, but at least a six pack with plans for more to be added. I don't really qualify for many, just the usual, Etna, Barolo, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Priorat.

Hacker wrote:

Cactus wrote:Wendouree - followed this forum and went on an auction binge. Dont have any of the straight Shiraz though, couldnt justify the price jump.

Hey Cactus, have you signed up to the Wendouree mailing list yet? You will get the shiraz at $50 or close to that price, maybe not this year but in a year or so. Everyone who signs up seems to get something, and time moves them up the pecking order, provided they order a balanced spread.

Hi Hacker - yes I have. Got some of the Shiraz Mataro and the Shiraz Malbec for 2012. Oh the Muscat too. I'm really looking forward to seeing if I can get the other wines. Got some older stuff to try and amazing with a bit of age. I have to thank the forum-ites for exposing me to this gem of a winery. I really like how it tries to be loyal to customers who like the product too & buy it for drinking. As a result I am on a couple of other wineries mailing lists that are not the big brands, more family businesses.

My cellar is pretty varied in terms of producers, not in terms of regions. Main cellar in Melbourne has about 3,000 bottles, one in Hong Kong 300 bottles, and here in Shenzhen I have a wine fridge with 160 bottle capacity.
80% Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone, smatterings of Italian Spanish and German stuff included in this. Remaining 20% is Australian, including a small smattering of New Zealand, USA and Sth Africa. I do not keep records, more fun that way, and I pretty much know it anyway.

From memory, and I am pretty sure this would be right, my top five would be as follows
1.La Conseillante (that is a certain, about 15 cases over 12 vintages)
2.Eglise Clinet (13 cases over I think 8 vintages... went very very long on the 2005 and 2009)
3.Jean and Louis Trapet (maybe a total of 10 cases, all either the Chambertin or Ostrea)
4.Fourrier (been buying off Ross since 93, but drinking as well, maybe 10 or so cases in the cellar, still have plenty of CSJ back to 96... over-rated)
5.d'Angerville (again, was buying between 93 and 05, stopped after that cause the stuff simply never matures, never had a great bottle) 8 cases or so

yea, yea, pretty boring, but it is the stuff I love to drink.
have quite a few bottles of lesser regions, but just never get round to drinking it.

oooooops,
seems i don't know my cellar that well, I just remembered recent purchases of Pavie (05 and 09) will have pushed d'Angerville off that list.

felixp wrote:5.d'Angerville (again, was buying between 93 and 05, stopped after that cause the stuff simply never matures, never had a great bottle) 8 cases or so

I have a fair bit of Lafarge, and you can say the same about him as well.

Top 5 are

1. Seppelt (mainly St Peters and Drumborg Riesling)
2. Stanton and Killeen (VP's)
3. Wendouree
4. Craiglee
5. Mt Mary (Quintet, Triolet, Chardnnay)

with next 3 places Willi Schaefer, Schloss Lieser, JJ Prum) then Pondalowie and Yeringberg

Great post!

1. Bellingham Estate (tiny Pinot producer in Mornington...09,10,11,12,13...lots of it)
2. Wendouree (08,09,10,11,12 across various wines, but lots of Cab Malbec)
3. Marius (various)
4. Seppelt (all Drumborg Riesling from 6 vintages)
5. Head (various, but lots of Contrarian)
6. Henri Chauvet Champagne (personal import)
7. Tyrrells (lots of Vat1, but some reds too)
8. Wanderer (love the Upper Yarra Pinot)
9. Hurley (various)
10. Pontet Canet (a surprise)

I'd expect to see some more Pinot producers entering soon...Mayer, Moondarra, Curly Flat are all slowly accumulating!

Simon

Penfolds
Rockford
Tyrrell's
Best's
Kumeu River

Just missing the cut were Wendouree, Giaconda, Hoddles, seppelt.

Interesting to see that spending has diversified into a lot more blocks of 2 or 3 bottles rather than full or half cases which is why a lot of commercial stuff is over represented, from when I have bought on sale, although I don't mind that, I enjoy wines from those producers listed.

An All-Aussie, mostly SA, top 10 list... this is from the 660 bottles I have back in Adelaide. I don't keep track of whatever I have here in London, but to date have been mainly buying for immediate consumption to kind of irrelevant.

1 Rockford 6.8%
2 Grosset 6.5%
3 Tyrrell's 6.4%
4 Wynns 4.8%
5 Hugh Hamilton 4.1%
6 Wendouree 3.3%
7 Penfolds 3.2%
8 D'arenberg 2.9%
9 Seppeltsfield 2.7%
10 Kay Brothers Amery 2.6%