Sterling Wine Auctions Australia

The prodigious 1999 Shiraz Hill of Grace is a magnificent Eden Valley Shiraz, fashioned from vineyard blocks ranging between 52-144 years of age. Its inky/ruby/plum/purple color is followed by a fragrant perfume of black fruits intermixed with underbrush, dried herbs, vanilla, and spring flowers. Full-bodied, magnificently concentrated, pure, and delineated, this gorgeous, still young, compelling Shiraz is another example of a vintage that more and more appears to be underrated. It should hit its prime in 2-4 years, and last 15-20.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comAugust 2007 $US325
Wine Advocate #155 October 2004

A barrel sample of the 2003 Shiraz Greenock appears to be a virtually perfect wine. If it makes it into the bottle with minimal clarification, it will be one of the leading candidates for Barossa?s ?Shiraz of the Vintage? in 2003.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US119
Wine Advocate #155 October 2004

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Bin 60A Kalimna is a blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (56%) and Barossa Shiraz (44%). Its blackberry, blueberry, tar, lead pencil shavings, licorice, and spice box-scented bouquet is followed by a wine boasting an unctuous texture buttressed by decent acidity as well as fabulous extract and richness. This stunning blend should have a minimum of three decades of aging potential and be a true collector?s item for many years to come.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US101-103
Wine Advocate #155 October 20043

The 1998 Grange will be legendary. A blend of 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at a whopping 14.5% alcohol. The inky/purple color is followed by an extraordinarily intense nose of creme de cassis intermixed with blueberry and floral notes. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of meat, plums, and cola also emerge. It is a seamless effort with sweet tannin, well-integrated acidity, sensational extract, and layer upon layer of blackberry and cassis fruit that stain the palate and fill the mouth. Its harmony, freshness, and remarkable length (the finish lasts nearly a minute) suggest an all-time classic. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US295-535
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #148 August 2003

It is always a treat to taste Australia?s most famous wine, Penfolds? Grange cuvee (the word Hermitage has been dropped because of legal issues). The 2001 Grange is one of the few vintages of this cuvee to be composed of 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, and 2000). Aged 17 months in 100% American oak, and tipping the scales at 14.5% alcohol, the 2001 is undeniably one of the top examples of this wine. At this stage, it appears to eclipse the 1998 and 1996. Inky/blue/purple to the rim, with a stunning perfume of blueberries, blackberries, chocolate, graphite, and earth, it boasts good acidity, huge tannins, magnificent concentration, and a multilayered, textured mouthfeel. It is a big, but impeccably well-balanced Shiraz that should shed some of its structure and tannin over the next 4-5 years, and be at its best between 2010-2030+.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US215-375
Wine Advocate #167 October 2006

Last but not least is Australia?s most famous wine, the 2002 Shiraz ?Grange?. The 2002 version was sourced from 77.5% Barossa Valley and 22.5% from McLaren Vale. Included in the blend is 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It spent 17 months in 100% new American oak. Opaque purple, it gives off an ethereal bouquet of violets, saddle leather, blueberry, blackberry, pencil lead, and chocolate. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration, multiple layers of flavor, ripe tannins, and great balance. Thick and rich, with a 60-second finish, it will slowly blossom over the next 15-20 years and provide pleasure through 2050. It is a legend in the making! Penfolds, arguably Australia?s most famous winery, continues to perform at a high level under the leadership of Head Winemaker, Peter Gago.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comAugust 2009 $US285-477
Wine Advocate #173 October 2007

The 2004 vintage was outstanding in Barossa, McLaren Vale, and Magill, the regions where the grapes were sourced for the marvelous 2004 Grange. It contains 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged for 16 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it displays a superb nose of wood smoke, Asian spices, incense, game, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Medium to full-bodied, satin textured, with deeply layered, succulent blackberry, plum, and chocolate flavors, it has the structure and complexity to merit extended cellaring of a decade and more. The winery estimates a drinking curve of 2016 to 2050; I-d be a bit more conservative on the long end of the range. It will ultimately be seen as one of the great vintages of Grange.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2010 $US328-600
Wine Advocate #186 October 2009

I have been fortunate enough to have this wine on five occasions, rating it consistently between 96 and 100. Hence, as part of this tasting, it was one of the vintages I could not wait to smell, taste, and drink. Each bottle opened proved to be disappointing, giving additional credibility to the axiom, "There are no great wines, just great bottles." A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, this was always considered one of the great vintages of Grange. "If you had to point to a wine which fulfilled all the ambitions of Grange, it would have to be 1971," said Max Schubert when tasting it in 1993. It is a legendary wine, but for whatever reason, the two bottles opened at the tasting were dominated by tannin, had baked-out, cooked flavors, and no succulence or sweetness...in short, shadows of what this wine had been in all previous tastings. Obviously, storage of the older vintages of Grange is impeccable, so that clearly is not an issue, but I would love to have another crack at this vintage in the future, as it is hard to believe that in the two years that have passed since I last tasted the 1971, it has fallen apart.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.com2007 $US1099-1118
Wine Advocate #E2002 Feb 2002

Consistently one of the most awesome wines ever made at Grange, this blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon (13.9% alcohol) was the first Australian wine to cost $20 upon release. I have had this wine six separate times, every time rating it between 96 and 100. It had a phenomenal showing at Penfolds' Magill estate. The color is an opaque purple, the wine massive, full-bodied, and to me, the quintessential Grange. Notes of blackberry liqueur intermixed with cassis, charcoal, new saddle leather, and underbrush resonate from the glass. Huge, thick, unctuously textured, with extraordinary concentration but perfect harmony among all of its elements, this is a prodigious Grange that is still not fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020. A legend for sure!

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US1,100-1,400
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #e2002 Feb 2002

A current as well as future legend, this has long been considered by Penfolds' winemaking team as the greatest Grange of the 1980s. And why not? A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at nearly 14% alcohol. I have been fortunate to have this wine nearly a dozen times, and I have consistently rated it 96-100. It was virtually perfect in June, exhibiting an opaque purple color and a provocative nose of creme de cassis intermixed with smoke, chocolate, licorice, new saddle leather, and pepper. The wine is fleshy, massively concentrated, multi-dimensional with extraordinary power, beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, that seems to only occur in the greatest vintages. Moreover, the wine is still a baby and ideally in need of another 3-5 years of cellaring. This is a Grange to kill for. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US600-635
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #183 Feb 2002

Hard as it may seem to believe, the 1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil is even better than the 1996 Krug Vintage. Still painfully young, the wine reveals incredible detail in a vivid expression of white peaches, flowers and minerals. While the Vintage is exuberant and expressive, the Clos du Mesnil is all about subtlety, finesse and an incredibly understated, feminine style of Champagne. This is surely one of the most profound wines that have ever passed my lips, and my only hope is that I will have an opportunity to taste it again at some point in the future. For now, the 1996 Clos du Mesnil remains a reference-point wine of the very highest level.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comOctober 2007 $US1498
Robert Parkers Italy Report May 2009

The profoundly rich 1990 Dom Perignon is a creamy-textured, full styled offering that loses none of its elegance in spite of its flavor authority. It will improve for 5-10 years, and appears capable of surpassing the fabulous 1985 and 1982. It seems obvious that the quality of the 1990 Champagne vintage is going to be remarkable, and the world-wide demand will be unprecedented. The message - buy them now!

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2010 $US98-384
Wine Advocate #109 February 1997

The biggest production cuvee, the 2005 Ermitage Le Pavillon (1,067 cases in this vintage) has a dense purple color, the classic acacia flower, graphite-based, smoky creme de cassis nose with a tremendous intensity and a full-bodied power and richness that is awesome. These are monumental wines, and when you think that this wine, much like most of its siblings, is made from yields of 12-18 hectoliters per hectare, the explanation for its concentration and extraordinary expression of terroir is obvious.With twenty vintages under his belt, Michel Chapoutier and his impressive winemaking staff go from strength to strength. These are among the world?s greatest wines, especially the single vineyard wines, many of which will last 50 or more years.The 2006 reds from Chapoutier display good acidity and freshness. If they lack the powerful tannic structures of the 2005s, and perhaps some of that vintage?s density, they are certainly not light wines. It is a vintage of finesse and concentration, but with considerable up-front charm. Again, 1991 is a useful historic reference. They are the perfect foil for those buying 2005s, which will require deferred gratification. The single-vineyard, or as Chapoutier calls them, the ?Selections Parcellaires? wines, are all aged in small barrels, often 100% new oak, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration. Production is relatively small, with the tiniest cuvee, the Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonnieres usually 200-325 cases, and the rest of the single-vineyard wines averaging around 480-625 cases. The largest is usually the St.-Joseph Les Granits or the Ermitage Le Pavillon, which can be as high as 1,000 or so cases in an abundant vintage. Again, the 2005s all exhibit the vintage?s density, tannic structure, and long-term aging potential. At the same time, the 2006s at Chapoutier remind me of 1991, initially an underrated vintage of wines with ideal balance. If they lack the pure power and structure of 2005, they are well-served by their purity and equilibrium. There are four single-vineyard cuvees of Ermitage. Production is small, running from about 275-300 cases of Les Greffieux, 480-500 of Le Meal, 800-1,100 for Le Pavillon, and 200-600 for L?Ermite

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2009 $US450
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #175 February 2008

There are nearly 1,200 cases of the 2006 Ermitage Le Pavillon. Since Michel Chapoutier released his first full vintage, 1989, of this single vineyard Hermitage, it has been one of the great wines of both France and the world. The 1989 and 1990 remain very young wines (I had them over the holiday break and was amazed by their still youthful personalities.). The inky/purple-hued 2006 exhibits a gorgeous perfume of crushed rocks, white flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, graphite, and a subtle touch of oak. Exceptionally full-bodied, multilayered in concentration, extraordinarily pure, and long, this is a prodigious young Hermitage that should be at its finest between 2018-2050+. While Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world?s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone (see my ecstatic reviews of his 2007 and 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #179), he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed. Following are some top-notch picks that all sell for exceptionally fair prices. Chapoutier has not achieved as great as success in Cornas as he has in the other northern Rhone appellations, although his Cornas wines get better with each vintage. There are four extraordinary single vineyard white wines, all of which are among the greatest dry white wines of the world. While all of them can be drunk young, they are meant for extended cellaring. Made from very small yields, they represent the essence of a varietal as well as a vineyard site. As the following notes demonstrate, 2006 was one of the greatest vintages for white wines at Chapoutier. The single vineyard selection parcellaire red wines range in production from 500 to nearly 1,000 cases. 2007 is a very good vintage for these selections, but 2006 has an edge. It is reminiscent of 1996 because of the wines? freshness and acid levels, but Chapoutier?s 2006s are even more concentrated than his 1996s. Chapoutier?s four 2006 cuvees of single vineyard Hermitage are exquisite. Most of the yields were between 10 and 20 hectoliters per hectare, and the wines are extravagantly rich. The 2006 and 2007 luxury cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape Croix des Bois and Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac were reviewed in issue #179. They are all astounding wines, especially in 2007

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2009 $US516
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #182 April 2009

There are nearly 1,000 cases of the 2006 Ermitage l?Ermite, another candidate for perfection in a few years. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color as well as a stunning bouquet reminiscent of a grand cru Musigny from Burgundy. Spring flower, crushed rock, black raspberry, and black currant scents dominate the aromatics of this incredibly pure, full-bodied wine. With laser-like precision and enormous extract and concentration, it comes across as remarkably elegant and fresh with crystal clear focus. A beautiful tour de force from the decomposed granitic soils of this site on the top of the Hermitage mountain, this amazing wine requires a decade of cellaring, and should last for 35 years. While Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world?s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone (see my ecstatic reviews of his 2007 and 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #179), he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed. Following are some top-notch picks that all sell for exceptionally fair prices. Chapoutier has not achieved as great as success in Cornas as he has in the other northern Rhone appellations, although his Cornas wines get better with each vintage. There are four extraordinary single vineyard white wines, all of which are among the greatest dry white wines of the world. While all of them can be drunk young, they are meant for extended cellaring. Made from very small yields, they represent the essence of a varietal as well as a vineyard site. As the following notes demonstrate, 2006 was one of the greatest vintages for white wines at Chapoutier. The single vineyard selection parcellaire red wines range in production from 500 to nearly 1,000 cases. 2007 is a very good vintage for these selections, but 2006 has an edge. It is reminiscent of 1996 because of the wines? freshness and acid levels, but Chapoutier?s 2006s are even more concentrated than his 1996s. Chapoutier?s four 2006 cuvees of single vineyard Hermitage are exquisite. Most of the yields were between 10 and 20 hectoliters per hectare, and the wines are extravagantly rich. The 2006 and 2007 luxury cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape Croix des Bois and Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac were reviewed in issue #179. They are all astounding wines, especially in 2007

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2009 $US632
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #182 April 2009

The best example of this vineyard Michel Chapoutier has yet made is the 2006 Ermitage Les Greffieux. A candidate for perfection, the wine boasts an extraordinary perfume of acacia flowers, black truffle, blueberry and blackberry liqueur in an opulent, fleshy, 1991-ish style. This wine has sweet tannin, fabulous concentration, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. This is a tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040. With twenty vintages under his belt, Michel Chapoutier and his impressive winemaking staff go from strength to strength. These are among the world?s greatest wines, especially the single vineyard wines, many of which will last 50 or more years.The 2006 reds from Chapoutier display good acidity and freshness. If they lack the powerful tannic structures of the 2005s, and perhaps some of that vintage?s density, they are certainly not light wines. It is a vintage of finesse and concentration, but with considerable up-front charm. Again, 1991 is a useful historic reference. They are the perfect foil for those buying 2005s, which will require deferred gratification. The single-vineyard, or as Chapoutier calls them, the ?Selections Parcellaires? wines, are all aged in small barrels, often 100% new oak, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration. Production is relatively small, with the tiniest cuvee, the Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonnieres usually 200-325 cases, and the rest of the single-vineyard wines averaging around 480-625 cases. The largest is usually the St.-Joseph Les Granits or the Ermitage Le Pavillon, which can be as high as 1,000 or so cases in an abundant vintage. Again, the 2005s all exhibit the vintage?s density, tannic structure, and long-term aging potential. At the same time, the 2006s at Chapoutier remind me of 1991, initially an underrated vintage of wines with ideal balance. If they lack the pure power and structure of 2005, they are well-served by their purity and equilibrium. There are four single-vineyard cuvees of Ermitage. Production is small, running from about 275-300 cases of Les Greffieux, 480-500 of Le Meal, 800-1,100 for Le Pavillon, and 200-600 for L?Ermite

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2009 $US389
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #175 February 2008

The 2003 Cote Rotie La Mouline is by far the most delicate and elegant wine (11% Viognier is co-fermented with 89% Syrah). but the enormous aromatics of spring flowers intermixed with creme de cassis, black raspberry, mocha, caramel, and cola, and enormous full-bodied opulence and striking velvety, seamless texture make for one of the most memorable wines anyone could every drink. This wine should age effortlessly for 25-30 or more years.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.com April 2010 $US $175-309
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #170 April 2007

A pure aromatic smorgasbord is offered by the 2003 Cote Rotie La Turque, which has an amazing aromatic profile of espresso coffee interwoven with scorched earth, tar, truffle, incense, blackberry, bacon fat, and flowers. Powerful, thick flavors ooze across the palate with a viscous texture, amazing purity, and just enough acidity and tannin to give uplift and precision to this remarkable tour de force in winemaking. Of the 2003s, this is also approachable, but ideally 2-5 years of cellaring would be suggested, and the wine will evolve for at least 30 more years.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comJune 2007 $US750-1050
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate #170 April 2007

Interestingly, a bottle of 1990 Lafite Rothschild I pulled from my cellar for a video blog on my web site was still buttoned down, tight, and even with extended decanting was not showing as much as I would have hoped. However, a bottle tasted, of all places, in Seoul, Korea in February, was only a few points short of perfection. That amazing performance motivated me to pull another bottle out of my cellar and follow it over the course of two days. Sure enough, by the second day the wine was roaring from the glass. The 1990 Lafite has turned out far better than my early assessment. While it still possesses some firmness, and performs like a late adolescent in terms of its evolution, it boasts gorgeous aromas of cedar, tobacco leaf, cassis, and lead pencil shavings. The explosive aromas are followed by a fleshy, full-bodied wine that should hit its peak in 5-8 years, and last for 25-30 more. Release price:($1400.00/case)

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comMay 2010 $US500-1529
Wine Advocate #183June 2009

The 1986 Leoville-Las Cases, which Delon continues to believe is his finest vintage in the eighties (even eclipsing the 1982), still exhibits a black/purple color with no signs of age. The nose offers up aromas of exceptionally ripe cassis fruit intertwined with scents of vanillin, minerals, and spices. The wine is full-bodied, exceptionally well-delineated, and phenomenally concentrated. Still unevolved and youthful, this is one of the most profound Leoville-Las-Cases, but for my palate, it remains a notch behind both the 1982 and 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2030.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comApril 2010 $US325-656
Bordeaux Book 3rd Edition 1998

Tasted 7 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes. The 1986 is the most tannic, as well as the largest-framed Pichon-Lalande in over three decades. Whether it will ultimately eclipse the 1982 is doubtful, but it will be longer-lived. Dark ruby/purple, with a tight yet profound bouquet of cedar, blackcurrants, spicy oak, and minerals, this full-bodied, deeply concentrated, exceptionally well-balanced wine is, atypically, too brawny and big to drink young. Anticipated maturity: 1994-2015.

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comApril 2010 $US $175-309
Wine Advocate #95 October 1994

An extraordinary success for this estate (and also the finest wine they produced in the decade of the eighties), the 1986 remains extremely backward. It reveals an impressively saturated dark purple color, followed by a tight but promising nose of sweet blackberries, cassis, licorice, earth, and smoke. Full-bodied and excruciatingly tannic, with layers of concentration, this exceptionally endowed wine is still an infant in terms of its evolution. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2030. Last tasted 10/97

Current Release Cost www.erobertparker.comApril 2010 $US186-242
Bordeaux Book ed #3 1998