Sterling Wine Auctions Australia

2008 The year that was; REPORTING- Winners; Losers; Rising Stars & Decadence

Another year whizzes to its end and its time to take stock. Take a good hard look at the wine world and dust down the mirror and assess how we have fared.

The wine auction scene, the cutting edge of real value and demand has, as always seen winners and losers.

Biggest winner? Has to be Penfolds Bin 707.

Boy; if you bought ever case of any recent Bin 707 back vintage you are a winner. Auction prices keep climbing with the $200 mark in reach for stella examples like the 1998. Current vintage release prices are stretching friendships but they seem to be in range at $150 plus a bottle.

Not bad for a wine that had a recommended retail in 1994 of $25, and that bought you the 1990 vintage!

If you look at the Sterling web site, the wine values data base (best in the world!) shows the 1998 Bin 707 sat around $100 for years following its release in 2001. This year it blasted straight to $180 a bottle, as I said earlier $200 a bottle here we come.

2008 has seen the strong get stronger.

No surprise that Moss Wood Cabernet, all wines made by Noons, all wines made by Greeenock Creek and Wendouree Shiraz have done very well in the auction market.

A special note for Giaconda.

Having gone where no other winery had been and set market prices with their own on-line tender system, Giaconda has zoomed on the secondary market. Auction prices for the premium Chardonnay are well into the $120’s. Rick Kinzbrunner and team are the only Australian White wine makers recognized by the Parker system as having an Extraordinary wine. The 2004 Giaconda chardonnay picked up a 96 parker score. The great man himself reviewed the wine rather enthusiastically.

"One of the finest Australian Chardonnays I have ever tasted is Giaconda’s 2004 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard. Aged 18 months in French oak (50% new, 100% Sirugue barrels), it tastes like a grand cru from Puligny-Montrachet. Steely lemon oil, popcorn, buttered hazelnut, and subtle smoke scents emerge from the glass of this intense, full-bodied Chardonnay that is bursting with character and soul. This amazing effort must be tasted to be believed."

Big calls always demand substance, the “talked up” wine of the year has to be the 2005 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. Best chardonnay in Australia, best ever Leeuwin etc etc…….Already trickling onto the auction market, this wine has received more rave reviews than Tiger Woods.

Put some substance behind the discussion and put the 2004 Giaconda head to head with the 2005 Leeuwin. Let me know how the research comes along.

The Auction market is a pure instant snapshot of the wine world, putting the hand on the wallet is a leap of faith that can’t be underestimated.

The fear of disaster fouled the New Year air.

With the Heritage and other wine investment disasters pumping huge quantities of back vintage “investments” into the wine auction system, there was concern about prices being eroded and current vintage releases being diluted.

Always winners and losers. Big volumes of smart wines like the D’Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier were gobbled up by a market hungry for bargains. Funny enough the heat generated by the demand pushed prices up to a respectable level.

Many of the “special labels” made for the wine investment promoters faired badly. Secret Places, Neck Oil, 12 Bells, Mouth Piece and a range of other tricked up brands were promoted as having some intimate connection with some of the industries brightest and best. Not surprisingly, so tenuous were these connections, one well know Barossa German family were prepared to have there name removed from any association, by force of law in need!

Sadly there were some good wines mixed up in this mess. Little brands that have no national retail distribution or high profile champions were disadvantaged. I think Eppalock Ridge wines are very well made and deserving of better attention than being dumped at auction. There is a silver lining to this story. All the punters who bought Eppalock Shiraz for under $15 a bottle got a bargain and now know just how good Heathcote wines are.

Make the bottle last

My crusade and hobby horse is the practice of opening and drinking good wines too fast. If you cant find good glasses and an hour for a great wine, don’t bother. Knock over a cheapie and save the premium wine for an occasion that will allow the right level of attention.

News……There is no law of God or Man that prohibits the drinking of more than one wine at the same time. Pour out the good wines at the beginning of a meal, most restaurants will give you more than one wine glass per set if you ask nicely. To me the greatest joy of wine is watching and experiencing a wine change and evolve in the glass.

The Smarty pants “All Black” rugby team showed us again this year why they should win every world cup. (Shame they fall over their ego’s in the semi’s!)

Any cross Tasman animosity can be focused on the Sauvignon Blanc dilemma. NZ farmers have pushed all the sheep in pens and turned the country in a giant Sauv Blanc Vineyard.

Not very smart when you have a huge, high quality vintage like 2008. Time will tell, but a flood is a comin. If you Love NZ Sauvvies stay tuned for quality and lower than ever prices.

If you don’t like the stuff, too bad! The comfort for those with dark thoughts is the prospect of the 2008 NZ Sauv Blanc-athon BBQing the golden goose.

Time will tell. If you are like me, wines like the Cloudy Bay TeKoka are stunning and a must have paired with so many stunning fresh seafood dishes. Maybe I am getting too long in the tooth to handle the acid, but a few glasses of this favourite wine are always enough.

Frigid Cellar Fellas

We are a funny lot. Ignoring so many things and clamping onto others as if they were a newly chiseled 11th entry on the Commandment slab.

Cellar temperatures are a source of great amusement to me. (Yes, I do need to get out more) The magic, everyone knows, cellar temp of 12-15C is cause of so much anxiety and so much trouble.

The wine auction business is supported by an ever growing band of enthusiastic wine lovers who have great trouble passing up a wine bargain. Gladly this band of merry brothers enjoys the financial clout to make the bargain work as hard as multiple cases can. We all know them, buying ten times more wine than their need. This investment is always deposited in a special wine storage facility, usually at home, but always, climate controlled.

The huge number of refrigerated cellars out there are kept year out below 16C. The anxiety; The worry that some remote act of God may cause the cellar temperature to rise, even momentarily above 18C.

Believe me, I know of wine collectors who would never holiday away from home for fear of the Cellar cooling system might fail. The shocking prospect of their pet cellar facing “China Syndrome” is enough to keep the serious amongst us at permanent attention.

The trouble, 12-15C is too bloody cold for wines to develop!

Lately Sterling has had buyers less than happy with wines purchased. Follow up usually unveils the same scenario; wine of 5 to ten years of bottle age that have been condemned to frigid dungeons.

No trouble really, in fact a bit of fun. We have seen a number of bitter buyers come in with the offending wines, only to back flip in raptures. Very cold cellars do prevent up front wine development, and may even highlight some of the tannic and sharp characters when a bottle is freshly opened.

Hang in there; give the wine a chance to breath and WOW things start to happen. All part of my quest to promote the slow enjoyment of wine, year out in the cold develops the most amazing subtle and complex characters. There is less rush to big broad soft, almost diluted tones, rather the details have been fine tuned and amplified.

Truly a blessing in disguise.

What’s Cabernet?

Connected to the big chill factor is the mystery of cabernet. Shocking to consider, devastating to believe, lots of youngens out there don’t know how cabernet tastes.

The current crop of over ripe, over oaked reds pickled with way to much alcohol are sweet and jammy and tasting pretty much the same, no mater the blend.

During the year we have had a few worrying reports of the taste of red wines that are “no good”

On several occasions the offenders have been brought in the Sterling office of review and pronouncement.

Of course, the affliction of cork taint darkens my door as well and often as others, but we have seen a number of younger buyers, and some older ones who are complaining about the taste of Cabernet!

There are just not used to it anymore! Beautiful fifteen to twenty year old wines from Coonawarra or Margaret River, with alcohol levels below 13% are unpopular with some and ambrosia with others.

The icing on the cake, coming from a frigid cellar, the green vegetal characters are even more pronounced on opening the bottle. A double changeling by the time of judgment. Good customer service experience, and a lot of fun.

Parker Ascendancy

That good old boy Mr Robert Parker Jn has moved from strength to strength.

The announcement that Robert would no longer come to Australia and taste new releases, was met with howls of condemnation and predictions of rapid demise.

Well, Dr Jay, the man Robert left in charge of Australia seems to have successfully avoided disaster. In fact the juggernaut roars on and the Parker system pronouncements seem to be well separated from the individual scribe doing the job.

Funny enough, I believe Dr Jay made a living as a child psychologist, very useful skill set when dealing with some of the silly billies seeking fame and fortune on the grapes back.

Burg Boys and Shiraz gals

What started as an amusing diversion has taking on a life of its own. Worrying trend too. Good on the ladies who want to break the mould and be seen around town in the company of hairy chested Shiraz brutes from Barossa and McLaren Vale. No harm is a girl embracing racy power.

The flip side is a worry, too many blokes are out and about doing the pinot thing, in public. To make matters worse, this growing Pinot Noir infatuation has pushed many bloke from the straight and narrow into the arms of the French. Watch out for the beret invasion.

Bordeaux gone mad; 2005 prices- 2007 crisis

Bordeaux has commanded wine attention for centuries and current interest has moved into overdrive.

There are many, just released, 2005 wines that are commanding between Two and Four thousand dollars a bottle. This is at Auction! The loony end of the mad house sees some of the biggest names with top points pushing over five thousand a bottle. Where will it end? A few years ago many Bordeaux producers were apologizing to there fellow Frenchies for allowing the Americans to drive the prices of the top vintages of the1990’s up over the $1,000 a bottle mark an beyond the reach of most Frogs.

It seems we can blame the Russians and the Chinese billionaires for the latest price burst. There are some bargains out there, go to established good drinking wines of the 1980’s before they are re-evaluated.

2007 Bordeaux is a disaster, maybe not as bad as 1984 but a pretty tough sell. Bad weather cut the good ripening sun when it was needed

It will be interesting to see how a dud vintage sells in such a hyped up market.

Don Dons Bling

We all have our focus and the Bling factor is a new area of interest in need of attention and measurement.

Attention seeking wine producers have relied on really heavy glass bottles and more recently really silly names to get attention in a world that clamors for novelty.

The Sterling sultan of style, young Donald has been looking at the wine bling factor and has a list of high achievers.

If you are concerned about Donald’s credentials, we are talking about a guy with so many pairs of fashion sports sneakers; Nike use him for test marketing. Not to mention the collection of gravity defying jeans that would have every rhinestone cowboy turning green with envy.

Donald has worked overtime to come up with a short list of wines with a high bling index.

No surprise that Champagne is stills the home of wine style. With both Krug and Rodreier slugging it out this year on the shameless most expensive wine front, Dom Perignon has slipped in and stolen the glory with the Oenotheque package.

Locally there have been some strong performances with the ever innovative DeBortoli giving us Victorian premium pinot, Chard and Sauv Blanc under the PRI label.

The sort of flashy pack that wrappers would love, for flash and jewel you cant go past the Wirra Wirra Chook Shed premium Shiraz.

The stunning retro feel “chook dog tags” slung over each bottle neck make a statement of flash and cash. Don loves this one and is thinking of buying a few bottles to give him enough dog tags to work up some serious accessorizing.

Quiet achiever; Penfolds have pushed the wild side with the packaging of the Block 42 and the Bin 60a. Some might see a Vatican influence, glossy red velvet and satin black are back! Style meets substance.

The winner, doesn’t even boast alcohol in the mix. The hands down Bling style master for the year must be the BLING brand mineral water. Too crazy for down under, you might have to cruise the Ginza or Shanghai’s Bunt to spot his one. The sort of thing that would amuse Paris Hilton, a diamante encrusted bottle of mineral water called BLING that costs over $A150 a bottle.

Where to next? Don Don is disappointed we didn’t seethe creative use of holagrams on labels this year. He is looking out for the first interactive smart label that tells a story or sings a song… Cant wait!

China Dolls

Crazy stuff going down in China, watch out for the China invasion. In a few years the best cheap wines in OZ will be China Imports.

Its only a matter of time before we see a China wine score a perfect 100 from friend Mr Parker. The money and effort going into the top end of the China wine market is just unbelievable.

A market so hungry for the best of the west has the capacity to dominate and absorb the output of the premium wine brands in demand.

The path already well trodden by our best beef and sea food, will see the very best of OZ wine shipped to Asia. Get ready for the day when there are only crumbs left here for us.

Best Shiraz in the world

Well, please stand up the best Shiraz in the world! All three of you! Crazy stuff Kilikanoon Oracle 2005 took out the London wine show, Witchmont Estate 2004 from Rockbank near Melton blitzed the Shiraz de monde in France and the Aussie show held by Winestate picked the French Guigal Chateau D Ampuis Cote Rotie 2004 as the very best.

If you have the money, get a bottle of each and get your mates around for dinner and run you own best of the best, final word, taste off.

The year past was generous with wine highs. The best and fairest? You decide.

And the years Best wines were!!!!!!!!!

The best wine? Let me have a red and a white. D’Arenberg Dead Arm and Tyrrells Vat 1

Dead Arm is a silly name but the wine impresses me with stunning consistency and the ability to weave power complexity and elegance into every vintage. Never cheap but always a thrill the great vintages like 1998 and 2001 do stand out. Even the less acclaimed 1999 is a stunner.

Tyrrells Vat 1 sem is part of a family of premium Hunter Semillons that includes the Stevens and the Belford. I love them all!

In a world that demands instant gratification you must respect a wine that not only commands attention but demands you take the time to enjoy it unfold. No burlesque performer could be more exciting and pleasing. Don’t serve too cold, in fact unless it’s a boiling hot day keep it away from the fridge.

Like any performance that commands and tantalizes, every delicious second counts. If you drink this wine in less than an hour you WILL have missed out on the joy of the most complex unfolding a white can conger up.

Dispatches must recognize valor and sacrifice displayed by the following

2002 Cape Mentelle Shiraz

A top five player at the Peel Estate Shiraz tasting, Taking the fight up to Octavius, RWT, Hill of Grace and Rockford basket press.

Orlando Jacobs Creek Johaan Shiraz Cabernet 2001

A freak that has stunned the show circuit and proves that a $50 wine can beat the world

Best value Wines? Madfish Bay

The kid that swallowed Mum and Dad. This “offshoot” of Howard Park is truly amazing. The Riesling alone has won more gongs than many serious expensive players. Well done Jeff and Amy

Messina 11th hour Shiraz

Pure fresh and sexy. Wonderful clean almost simple shiraz with old wine power and a build that doesn’t sacrifice varietal character.

Crazy mixed up Planeta Sicilian Merlot

It’s a great time to be a wine drinker. So many new things and so much excitement. The Planeta merlot is a joy, try it as an options wine.

Monster Wine Black dog

The Willow bridge Black dog shiraz 2001 is just too much for me, its kept in a thick heavy bottle to stop it escaping. Concentrating fruit wood and flavor takes on new dimensions. Proving I should never be taking seriously, this wine is a huge hit. Many loyal followers just love it!

Winery to watch Noon of Mclaren Vale

Big prediction? New discovery? No. Drew Noon has been striding the world stage for over a decade with ten or so 98 and 99 parker pointed wines. Drew and Noon wines are already stars. My call, this young bloke will take the next step. Currently Noon wines are undervalued at cellar door and at Auction.

Sharpest scribe

There are many out there who pick up a pen and help lesser mortals understand the world of wine. Some are loved others are not. For me Bert Werden of Wine Star deserves special recognition. Not a blow in with lots to say and little to lose.

Bert spruiks up good wines and sells them. Wine Star “discovers” plenty of bargains and has the sort of street cred that is bankable. I read the Wine Star e-news and get more good info from it than most other sources combined.

Country to watch? Spain

What is going on in Spain? They are breeding racing cyclist than cant be beat. Back to back tour winners in France Italy Spain Olympic gold in the mens Road race and time trial

All of a sudden everyone is going nuts about Alborinho and Tempranillo. The Termanthia 2004 from Bodegas Numanthia Termes story sums it up.

A business no one had heard of produces a Parker 100 pointer and a 98 pointer in its first vintages. Within a year, the biggest news in the wine world had been snapped up by wine Conquistadors LVMH. Now premium retail and the auction scene are laden with al these groovy Spanish wines. I Like!

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October 2008