The Auswine Forum

My 31 yo son from time to time expresses a view that he considers me to be a bit of a wine wanker. Now that may or may not be true, but I was trawling through some old files earlier today and came across a wine list that I put together for a Xmas dinner 40 years ago.

In 1984 we discovered Iain Hewistson's wonderful Toorak restaurant called Fleurie, a French influenced modern Australian restaurant, fixed price and BYO. The food was superb and Iain and wife Sandra really looked after wines that patrons brought to the restaurant. So, as an enthusiastic 30yo with ten year's interest in wine, this is the list of wines at dinner in December 1984, the first of a number of slightly outrageous Xmas dinners that I put on at Fleurie for a few friends. I think there were eight of us and I seem to recall that it was a great night!

1978 Pommery Champagne
1980 Lindemans St George Cabernet
1978 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet
1978 Ch Leoville Las Cases St Julien Bordeaux
1977 Penfolds Grange (Hermitage in those days)
1973 Lakes Folly Cabernet
1965 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy Bin 3100
1975 Mildara Coonawarra Auslese Rhine Riesling
1977 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port

I think my son is right

Wow, what a list .... certainly a trip down memory lane!
Few whites - or was someone else responsible for those.
Iain would have recently left CLICHY restaurant in Collingwood ( set up with Siggy Jorgensen of Monsalvat fame ) - great bloke.
Can you put any prices on those wines - Grange would have been the most expensive Aussie, at say $20 - 25 retail.

Nice line up…. I remember the 80 St George very well. One of the first cabs I ever tried

Whatever your son thinks, that's a super line-up

We had so much fun in Dec 1984 that we just had to have a repeat dinner at Fleurie in Dec 1985 with the following wines:

1978 Dom Perignon
1984 Hungerford Hill Coonawarra Riesling
1983 Lakes Folly Chardonnay
1982 Ch Carbonnieux Graves (white)
1982 Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet
1978 Ch Lynch Bages Pauillac
1976 Tyrells Pinot Noir
1972 Redmans Claret
1970 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy Bin 4100
1962 Penfolds Special Show Sauternes
1966 Leo Buring Bin P121 Vintage Port

Your Hunter game was strong!

Thanks for the memories Malcolm.
When I first went to Coonawarra in 1980 and returned in 1985, if I remember correctly, the old Hungerford Hill winery was on the left as you came into Penola, where Mildara was, then a succession of others. I purchased the Riesling and the Cabernet.
I tried the 80 St George a couple of times...wonderful old curios.

Cheers Craig

The Hungerford Hill CD was in an old farm house in a stand of redgums in the middle of what is now Wynns V&A Lane vineyards, just before you got to Bowen Estate. They had some great wines