The Auswine Forum

Greetings.

Quick heads up for forumites as in the Barossa and returned from Rockfords.

SVS 98's are out. There are two; both are $70 each.

98 SVS The Pressings- 30 months in American Oak and quite a monster. Oak is very evident but there is plenty of fruit soaking it all up as well. The finish is long with persistant, but not annoying, tannins.

98 SVS Flaxmann's Vineyard - My personal favourite from the 96 SVS releases. French oak here and the cooler Eden Valley expression of shiraz - is there a better shiraz region on the planet? Leaner style, oak more in evidence than the 96 but still opulent and rich.

Great wines and great hospitality-as usual.

Thanks Jamie,

I'm going down there this weekend. Is there a limit of one bottle or its it more ?

Tx

Mike

Mike

Angela works on Saturday so definately one bottle only.

Plenty of BP 01 available-was disappointed at first but by nights end ( last night ) the 01 had opened up to reveal that classic softness and restrained power of the style. Did not seem to have the density of fruit of the outstanding BP's though.

98 C/S available too.

99 Moppa drinking well too-validating, IMHO, it's replacement of the straight grenache.

Interested to see what you think of the SVS this year. The pressings may outlive us all. Given the chance.

No Old Block at Cellar Door and Melton's still have the 00 reds and 01 9Popes ( 02 in July )- may save you some time on Krondorf Rd.

Thanks mate,

May need to get down to Adelaide for work a few times over the next 6 or 8 weeks so I can get a few bottles of the SVS !! (Hope the boss isn't reading this).

Mike

Thanks for the information.

Did you get the feeling that there might be other 1998 SVS wines that will be relesed at a later date? I find it hard to believe that a 1998 Hoffmann was not made.

Adair

Sorry Adair, but I can't answer your question.

There was mention of a regular Stonewallers' lunch with a chef. Great concept that would need support of members.

The two 98 SVS wines currently on offer will be the only ones available in Australia from the 1998 vintage.

-- George Krashos

George Krashos wrote:The two 98 SVS wines currently on offer will be the only ones available in Australia from the 1998 vintage.

-- George Krashos

Okay George... what do you mean by "in Australia".

Adair

Well Adair,
In Sweden we will have Old Vine Home Block shiraz 1996 in magnums only as well as a Lizard Block Grenache trio 1996 1998 and 2002 sold together.
Unfortunately not for the domestic market.

Mr Guest wrote:Well Adair,
In Sweden we will have Old Vine Home Block shiraz 1996 in magnums only as well as a Lizard Block Grenache trio 1996 1998 and 2002 sold together.
Unfortunately not for the domestic market.

What... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Surely you are stirring me!

If not, I dead-set, totally, absolutely need to try that Old Vine Home Block.

How much are these in Swedish Kronor (I'll attempt the convertion to Australian Banana dollars) and how available are they in Sweden?

Adair

You are a sick man Adair, time to take a deep breath and say after me.. ...... "its only wine" and "its only Rockfo.... " choke.

I'm with Adair...how do i get to buy a bottle..i'll fly to bloody sweden if i have to!! Enlighten us further.Why dont we see this here in Oz though i have heard about it before..i thought it was reserved for the workers.

Cheers

Paul

I agree with Torb
Rockford is only wine and there is always more somewere

Adair
actually we are preparing the export order now.
If you are prepared to take one carton ie 6 magnums and one carton ie 4 x 3 packs of the grenache then I can help
I will pm you.

Mr Guest wrote:Adair
actually we are preparing the export order now.
If you are prepared to take one carton ie 6 magnums and one carton ie 4 x 3 packs of the grenache then I can help
I will pm you.

Thank you. I am waiting for your PM.

Adair

TORB wrote:You are a sick man Adair, time to take a deep breath and say after me.. ...... "its only wine" and "its only Rockfo.... " choke.

Raspberries and tongue out at you!!!

Paul T wrote:I'm with Adair...how do i get to buy a bottle..i'll fly to bloody sweden if i have to!! Enlighten us further.Why dont we see this here in Oz though i have heard about it before..i thought it was reserved for the workers.

Cheers

Paul

Thank you Paul.

merlot 128 wrote:I agree with Torb
Rockford is only wine and there is always more somewere

Mister Merlot 128... well, really, I don't need to address you like I did TORB, your name says it all!

Adair

I saw these at cellar door - but not for sale - last time I was there

Gary W wrote:I saw these at cellar door - but not for sale - last time I was there

Hey...bugger off...thats not me.
GW

Mr Guest wrote:Well Adair,
In Sweden we will have Old Vine Home Block shiraz 1996 in magnums only as well as a Lizard Block Grenache trio 1996 1998 and 2002 sold together.
Unfortunately not for the domestic market.

Point to note: a wise person just made me realise the 1996 Old Vine Home Block is probably just the 1996 SVS Moorooroo - as Rockford's Home Block is in the Moorooroo sub-region of the Barossa. I don't have a copy of the literature that went with the three 1996 SVSs, which might detail the vineyard that the 1996 Moorooroo came from, so I can't be 100% sure.

Interesting that they would label it differently though.

Adair

Hay just because my first great wine experance was a
mag of 1982 Petrus with the cellar hand who worked there 1982-1984.
Ps it's the only merlot i really like i have had this as my hotmail acc for about 6 years

BEN

merlot 128 wrote:Hay just because my first great wine experance was a
mag of 1982 Petrus with the cellar hand who worked there 1982-1984.
Ps it's the only merlot i really like i have had this as my hotmail acc for about 6 years

BEN

Ummm, Okay.... you win!

Adair

Adair,

I'm with you too mate. I'd like to be able to buy the SVS wines this year but won't be able to get over to the cellar door. A quick flight over and back cannot be justified so I may as well wait until they come up for auction later in the year. Lets go halves in a set and drink them at Anise with David and Tony.



Cheers

Jamie

radioactiveman wrote:Adair,
I'm with you too mate. I'd like to be able to buy the SVS wines this year but won't be able to get over to the cellar door. A quick flight over and back cannot be justified so I may as well wait until they come up for auction later in the year. Lets go halves in a set and drink them at Anise with David and Tony.
Cheers
Jamie

Sounds like a great idea.
I am sure it will not be too long until I get back down there.

Adair

Adair wrote:

radioactiveman wrote:Adair,
I'm with you too mate. I'd like to be able to buy the SVS wines this year but won't be able to get over to the cellar door. A quick flight over and back cannot be justified so I may as well wait until they come up for auction later in the year. Lets go halves in a set and drink them at Anise with David and Tony.
Cheers
Jamie

Sounds like a great idea.
I am sure it will not be too long until I get back down there.

Adair

Most excellent. Give me as much notice as you can so I can raid my cellar stores.


Cheers

Jamie

No need for panic stations. Will be around for a while. The bottle limit is strictly enforced.

I think they may even take down your name to ensure you don't turn up day after day in pursuit of SVS-wine investors etc.

Was with the sister in law at Stonewallers the other day, her family owns one of the Flaxmann's vineyards ( I think there are two ), and the family allocation of SVS just a few bottles.

I like the system, not always perfect, but there is often something special on offer at CD.

Interesting the 96 Flaxmann comes in at 14.5% alchohol and the 98 13.5%.

Adair wrote:

"Okay George... what do you mean by "in Australia". "

I guess that means that the only '98 SVS wines available in Australia are the Flaxman and the Pressings. But I do wonder what happened to the '98 Hoffmann ...

-- George Krashos

You are such a stirrer george. I suppose you think becoming a father this weeks justifies any amount of vinous inuendo. Congratulations anyway!!!

Anyone ever entertained the idea of just ringing Rockford to see what they can tell you about the 1998 SVS? Could be a long shot, but maybe they could help if one of you Stonewallers rang them!

A good point, the last one. I was there today. I didnt actually ask about the Hoffmann, but did ask Ian Bickford what he knew about an export label home block shiraz from 1996. It was news to him - and I would have thought he would know about it. Odd, that.
For those who cant get there, for the record, they are lovely wines. He lined up three glasses to compare the Flaxman and the Pressings against the 01BP - what a pleasure ! Glad to have all three in the cellar now.
Favourite in our party was the pressings - I agree with others that its a long haul bet, but a classy drop.
I suspect that these wines will be very tightly held, and given they are individually recording those that they hand out, I cant see too many of these hitting the auction circuit (and as for supply, it was stated that at one bottle each, there is nowhere near enough to cover all Stonewallers).

I was at CD Saturday, and there is definitely no more 98 SVS's according to the guy who served me (and Angela concurred).

Our group preferred the Flaxman to the Pressings, with the former having a beautiful, sweet (in a good way) finish that just lasted for ages. That having been said, my view is that in 5 or so years time the Pressings will really hit its straps and be the better of the two.