| Australian | 2978 |
| Italian | 1081 |
| Burgundy | 654 |
| Imported | 627 |
| Bordeaux | 389 |
| Champagne | 331 |
| New Zealand | 323 |
| Rhone | 239 |
| Sauternes / Barsac | 172 |
| Chablis | 166 |
| France | 151 |
| Spirits | 49 |
| Port | 36 |
| Whisky | 23 |
| Total Lots: | 7219 |
| PENFOLDS Grange Hermitage | 1987 |
| PENFOLDS Grange | 2010 |
| WOODLANDS Emily Special Reserve | 2014 |
| BEST'S GREAT WESTERN | 2023 |
| GIACONDA Estate Vineyard | 2023 |
| BEST'S GREAT WESTERN | 2023 |
| BROWN HILL Bill Bailey | 2020 |
| BROWN HILL Bill Bailey | 2020 |
| BROWN HILL Bill Bailey | 2020 |
| CAPE MENTELLE | 2014 |
| PENFOLDS Grange |
| HENSCHKE Hill of Grace |
THE JUST - Louis X111 - Great King - Greatest Cognac package - Specimen condition - Complete with presentation case and original shipper with carry straps - bought in Singapore 2006
| WEN 0006 | 1 700ML BOTTLE IN PRESENTATION CASE Recent Release (2006) | Current Bid: $2210 |
BRAVO - RP100 - There is an usual stony austerity in the 2021 Adrianna Vineyard River, cropped from a cold year when the full clusters fermented in concrete with a slightly shorter maceration and an élevage in a 2,000-liter oak foudre and the rest in stainless steel. It has a moderate 13.4% alcohol with very high acidity (8.2!) and a low pH (3.37), incredible parameters of freshness. The wine was closed and took time to take off in the glass, revealing a very elegant and subtle personality, with the silky texture of the very fine tannins, pristine aromas and flavors and a sense of harmony that was moving. It's powerful but extremely elegant in that rare combination of clout and energy, a wine of light, aerial, with some ethereal qualities, delicate and refined. This combines the cool place and high altitude, the cool year and the stony soils, to deliver a stunning Malbec that goes well beyond the variety. Bravo! 3,400 bottles produced.
| XNE 2291 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $274 | |
| XNE 2292 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $274 | |
| XNE 2290 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $274 |
BRILLIANT - RP98+ - The 2021 White Bones Chardonnay was harvested at two different points of ripeness and then blended into the final wine, which is subtler than the explosive 2020 I tasted next to it but with the same palette of aromas—thyme, rosemary, lavender, rockrose, white flowers, citrus, pine needles, incense, curry and spices—and the palate is seamless, mineral and with a chalky texture. It's brilliant and expresses the variety, vintage and soil perfectly, but today I give the edge to the 2020, which I think transcends the vintage. 6,240 bottles produced.
SEAMLESSS- RP98+ - The exuberance and drama in the stunning nose of the dense plum-colored 2012 Dominus offers up notes of Asian spice, ripe, black currants, kirsch, tobacco leaf and Christmas fruitcake. It is full-bodied and opulent, with no hard edges, a seamless integration of acidity, wood and tannin and a density and richness that are built to go on for 25-30 years.
| TUR 0867 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 | |
| TUR 0868 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
ICONIC - RP96 - The iconic 2012 Proprietary Red Opus One is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec aged 18 months in French oak. A classy, complex, suave and savory 2012 Opus One, with notes of toasty oak and crème de cassis. This Pauillac lookalike, made by the staff at Mouton Rothschild, is a beauty. They have continued to strengthen the quality of wine and seem to have produced a brilliant, world-class wine. I imagine the 2013 may even eclipse this, but this 2012 is one of their great ones, with a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood all present in this beautiful, full-bodied wine that should drink well for 25-30 years.
| XNE 0711 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $914 | |
| XNE 0712 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $914 | |
| XNE 0713 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $914 |
SOARS - RP98 - Very deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Opus One soars out of the glass with bright, bold boysenberries, warm cassis and ripe, juicy black plums notes, plus emerging nuances of lilacs, oolong tea, cinnamon stick, tilled soil and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly wound layers of crunchy black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with lifted fruitiness and on a lingering mineral note.
| XNE 0714 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $834 | |
| XNE 0715 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $834 | |
| XNE 0716 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $834 |
TRULY MAGNIFICIENT - RP97-99 - Winemaker Michael Silacci commented that usually the blends are finished in January or February after the vintage. This year, with the 2019s, he was still tweaking the blend, but he did mention that this is "pretty close to the final blend." Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Opus One leaps from the glass with notes of Black Forest cake, Morello cherries, mulberries and fresh blackcurrants plus hints of licorice, wilted roses, Sichuan pepper and iron ore. Full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with juicy black, blue and red fruits, framed by velvety tannins and background freshness, finishing on a compelling earthy/mineral note. Tasted as a barrel sample, this is a truly magnificent Opus One in the making!
| XNE 0718 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $759 | |
| XNE 0719 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $759 | |
| XNE 0717 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $759 |
PERFECT BILLECART STYLE - RP96 - The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.
| ACC 17113 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $319 | |
| XDW 1600 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $794 | |
| XDW 1606 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $794 | |
| XDW 1612 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $794 |
FULL BODIED, FLESHY & ENVELOPING - RP96 - Disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2014 Brut La Grande Année Rosé wafts from the glass with aromas of tangerine oil, red berries, warm biscuits and English walnuts. Full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's a broad, vinous Champagne, with a deep core of fruit and racy acids, complemented by a delicate pinpoint mousse and concluding with delicate and enlivening phenolic grip on the finish.
| ACC 15505 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $294 | |
| ACC 15506 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $294 | |
| ACC 15507 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $294 | |
| ACC 15508 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $294 | |
| ACC 15509 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $294 |
BRILLIANT CHAMPAGNE - RP96 - The 2014 Cristal is a terrific effort that transcends the vintage. Bursting from the glass with expressive aromas of ripe citrus fruit, nectarine, white flowers, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous and fleshy, with an exuberant core of fruit that's girdled by racy acids, resulting in a wine that's simultaneously chiseled and demonstrative, meaning that early appeal doesn't come at the expense of the requisite tension for long-term cellaring. Concluding with a long, aromatic and intensely chalky finish, it is a brilliant Champagne that will offer a broad drinking window. This bottle was disgorged in June 2021 with seven grams per liter dosage.
| ACC 15691 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $375 | SOLD |
BANNER VINTAGE - RP99 - A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.
| ACC 17626 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $824 |
BRILLIANTLY - RP96 - This bottle of Taittinger's just-released 2007 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé was disgorged in December 2018, and it's showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of blood orange, minty raspberries, red plums, dried flowers and warm brioche. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, chalky and tensile, sharing a racy, chiseled profile with its Blanc de Blancs cousin. Deep, concentrated and tightly wound, the wine concludes with a long, sapid finish. This is an intense, racy Comtes Rosé with a long future ahead of it. As has been the norm chez Taittinger for several years now, the blend is based upon 70% Pinot Noir and includes 15% still red wine from Bouzy.
| ANT 0054 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $304 | |
| ANT 0055 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $304 | |
| ANT 0056 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $304 |
ENDURING - JH96 - 68% pinot noir. Fermented in (7.5% new) oak. A tight and incredibly enduring vintage. Pale blush/salmon tint. All the structural integrity, tension and focus of 68% pinot noir. An intricately engineered framework supports a secondary style of long lees age (11 years) and a little more new oak influence than ever before. A vintage for the cellar.
| ANT 0089 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $69 |
BEAUTIFUL - JH97 - The quite beautiful colour announces a quite beautiful medium-bodied wine with glorious red and black cherry fruit, superfine tannins and classy oak all in total harmony - so much so you can forget just where you are on the journey through to the finish.
| TUR 0890 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 | SOLD |
| TUR 0889 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $48 |
BUILDS & BUILDS - JH96 - Full crimson-purple; a complex medium to full-bodied shiraz with blackberry, black cherry, spice, licorice, tannins and oak all contributing to the intense palate; natural acidity and freshness enhanced by the modest alcohol; it builds and builds, lengthens and lengthens each time it is retasted.
| 106 0880 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $64 |
WORLD QUALITY - JH96 - Vines planted 1868, 1966, '70 and '92, hand-picked and sorted, open-fermented with 25% whole bunches, matured for 17 months in French oak (20% new). There should be no doubt that this is absolutely of world quality. It ticks each and every box with its deep colour, evocative bouquet smelling of 'old money' (in wine terms), a long and velvety palate, the finish simply wanting you to start the process over again.
| TUR 0893 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $48 | |
| TUR 0895 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $48 | |
| TUR 0894 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $48 |
BEAUTIFUL - JH94 - Excellent release. This is one of those 'light but insistent' wines that almost seems to defy logic. It's super slim and bony in its volume of flavour, with florals, twiggy spices, red cherry and pippy strawberry flavours shooting through the palate, but then when you swallow, the flavours continue on for longer than is reasonable, and to boot, they leave an impression that is far beyond their weight. It's like heavy footsteps being left on a beach by a featherweight. Needless to say, it's a beautiful drink.
| SRO 0689 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $29 | SOLD |
| SRO 0690 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $30 | SOLD |
BLESSED - JH97 - Deep crimson-purple; made predominantly from vines planted in 1868, and is genuinely a wine that is only made in the best vintages. I can't help but think when I taste a wine such as this that my ashes will have been scattered decades before it fulfils all of its potential. It has lashings of blackberry, plum, blackcurrant and touches of licorice and mint; the tannins are quite obvious, but ripe and in balance for a wine so blessed with great fruit. Bottle no. 833 of 4200.
| 106 0881 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $160 | |
| 106 0882 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 |
BEAUTIFULLY 30 - JH95 - Strong purple-red; a complex array of aromas running through dark fruits, mint and vanilla, with the oak well balanced and integrated. A beautifully balanced and constructed wine, with intense fruit, well integrated oak and guaranteed to evolve superbly over the decades.
| STO 0218 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $104 |
INTENSITY & STRUCTURE -JH96 - Strong purple-crimson; has every bit of the intensity and structure expected of this wine, with a mix of red cherry, blackberry, French oak and a lilting finish thanks to spot-on acidity.
| TUR 0843 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $160 |
PROCLAIMS - JH96 - Deep purple-crimson, it proclaims its breed and quality from the first whiff, overflowing with black fruits, tannins and oak in support. It will slowly gain notes of earth, briar and polished leather as it develops in bottle, the screwcap giving it an indefinite life span.
| TUR 0844 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $160 |
STELLA WINE - JH96 - A stellar wine boasting an intensity of flavour, palate-staining levels of extract and a forensic precision to the tannins that forces one to swish the wine about the mouth while chewing every ounce of nourishment from it. Subdued at first, before 2019's ripe kit of black cherry melds with lilac florals and a long trail of pepper, Indian spice mix and charcuterie flavours. A venerable wine in the making.
| ACC 12312 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $214 | |
| ACC 12313 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $219 |
LIQUID GOLD -A slate of trophies and dozens of show gold medals - Reynella was the GREAT Australian fortified producer - The 1977 is a rare opportunity
| JMO 0364 | 1 BOTTLE High shoulder, corroded capsule, & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $33 | SOLD |
| JMO 0365 | 1 BOTTLE Mid shoulder, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $28 | SOLD |
PERFECTION - RP99+ - Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 Hoffman Vineyard Shiraz possesses an extraordinary nose of cassis, crushed blackberries, earth, Bovril and yeast extract with licorice, spice box and dried herbs hints. Full-bodied, rich and densely packed, with a lovely backbone of ripe tannins and great freshness, the long finish here is just incredible. A true "wow" wine, this complex beauty certainly has the potential to hit "perfection" with a little more time in bottle.
| TUR 0839 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
STUNNING - RP99 - Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2006 Astralis has stunning nose redolent of warm blackberries, meat, toast and charcoal, infused with notes of smoked duck, anise and a slight bit of peat. Though still very youthful, this big, rich, and powerful full-bodied wine has firm yet velvety tannins, a vibrant acid line and is very long on the finish. Drink it now to 2026+.
| 106 0888 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| TUR 0704 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 |
SHOULDN'T BE MISSED - RP99 - Picked before the heat and weighing in at a reasonable 14.5% alcohol, the 2008 Astralis Syrah (tasted from magnum) is singing. Showing no bricking at the rim, scents of cracked pepper, mint, bay leaf, thyme, lavender and blueberries pour out of the glass, adding meaty notes and hints of espresso and black olive with air. Full-bodied, creamy-textured and supple on the long finish, this wine shouldn't be missed. If you've got one, open it and see for yourself. MAGNUM
| JMO 0302 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $572 |
LONG & PLUSH - RP95 - Full-bodied, creamy and rich, the 2013 Astralis Syrah lacks a bit of precision on the nose, but the palate delivers stunning layers of lush blueberry fruit, made savory by the addition of coffee grounds and black olives. Long and plush on the finish, it's a tremendous effort for the vintage.
| TUR 0711 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $224 |
TERRIFIC - RP97 - Cola, dried spices, menthol and blueberry notes all appear on the nose of the 2014 Astralis Syrah. A massive yet approachable wine, it's full-bodied and creamy-textured, with a rich, velvety finish that picks up awesome savory notes of anise, cracked pepper and roasted meat. It's simply a terrific wine that may be drunk soon or held up to two decades.
| TUR 0714 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 | |
| TUR 0715 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 | |
| TUR 0716 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 |
WOW - RP100 - The fitting capstone to what was a terrific vintage for Clarendon Hills, the 2015 Astralis Syrah is destined to become a McLaren Vale legend. Remarkably precise, complex and pristine aromas of anise, pepper, mint and blueberries lead the way. They're followed by a full-bodied yet impeccably ripe palate that's dense and concentrated yet supple, leading into a velvety, nearly endless finish. Wow.
| TUR 0720 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
TIME IS RIGHT? - RP97+ - The inky, tannic 2016 Astralis Syrah will no doubt need some time before it reaches its apogee. Right now, it only hints at that potential. Appetizing scents of roasted meat and cinnamon toast meet red raspberries and black cherries on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is densely concentrated and richly textured but closed, locked up by firm, dusty tannins that bar the lengthy finish from expanding and being truly expressive. I'm tempted to say buyers should check in on the wine in five years, but that may not be enough time. If you absolutely must check it out now, taste it repeatedly over the course of a full evening to catch glimpses of espresso, black olives and delicate herbal nuances
| XWA 2088 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $339 | |
| XWA 2082 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $339 | |
| XWA 2079 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $339 |
A BEAUTY - RP97+ - The 2017 Astralis Syrah is a very fine wine. It is not a big wine. Perhaps its reputation for being a big, extracted wine is a misnomer these days. It has intention and drive and clarity and length—and the length of flavor is so long that it allows reassessment over and over again. It has cassis and blackberry, raspberry pip and salted licorice. It is perfumed and balanced, and it takes time to develop. Unctuous. Satisfying. Supple. Attractive. Beautiful. Eminently balanced. A beauty.
| XWA 2278 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $314 | |
| XWA 2273 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $314 | |
| XWA 2272 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $314 |
SPOTLESSLY - JH96 - Spotlessly clean, lifted black cherry/blackberry and spice aromas, together with the unmistakable tang of Viognier; silky soft tannins, very good balance and length.
| STO 0219 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $80 |
SUPERB - JH97 - As expected the wine is young and buoyant, with a highly fragrant perfume of red fruit, fresh blackberry, violets, roasted meat and a little tar; the palate reveals the true potential of this superb wine with a cascading array of flavours and thrillingly silky tannin, poised acidity and a peacocks tail on the very long and precise palate.
| TUR 0872 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $140 |
JH95 - Light, bright crimson-purple; a highly fragrant bouquet of red fruits and subtle spices leads into a medium-bodied palate; here more savoury characters join the red fruit flavours, lengthening the finish and aftertaste. Due for release Sept 2011.
| TUR 0873 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $120 |
SOCRATEAN - JH98 - Tim Kirk's Socratean dissatisfaction has led to changes in the vineyard and winery alike. One particular change is the increase in the percentage of whole bunches, resulting in even greater perfume and more texture, yet leaving the mouth fresh. Spices are embroidered on the red fruits with unequalled attention to detail.
| TUR 0875 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 |
GLORIOUS - JH98 - The perfumed, spicy bouquet with red flowers and fruits doesn't prepare you for the intensity and piercing length of its beautifully balanced medium-bodied palate. This is a truly glorious wine that draws you back again and again to explore the wealth of red fruit flavours, and the majesty of its texture and structure.
| TUR 0876 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 |
BEST - JH98 - A co-fermented 94/6% blend. The hue is good, although not deep - pinotish. Tim Kirk nails it when he writes of a line of pure spice running through the bouquet and palate - I would simply add 'and the aftertaste' because this has superb length and texture, replete with red berry flavours. Clonakilla at its best.
| TUR 0877 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 |
FRAGRANT - JH97 - Hand-picked and sorted, fermented with 28% whole bunches and 6% viognier. Apart from a hail storm in Jan, a perfect growing season. Fragrant to the point of perfumed aromas of spices, rose petals and red fruit blossom. The palate is, as ever, very complex, with spice berries sewn together in a necklace of tannins. The length is all one could wish for.
| TUR 0880 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 | |
| TUR 0879 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 | |
| TUR 0878 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 |
DEEP - JH96 - As ever, has fine but persistent tannins running from the fore-palate through to the finish; the deep and intense fruit will sustain the wine until those tannins loosen their grip. All five Bordeaux varieties present led by Cabernet Sauvignon (75%).
| TUR 0838 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $300 | SOLD |
PERFECTION - JH98 - A wild-fermented Bordeaux blend matured for 18 months in French oak (40% new). It has waves of complexity, changing shape as the luxuriant cassis swells on the mid-palate, then finishes with ripe, textured tannins. The overall freshness is perfection.
| ANT 0084 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $114 |
BLIMEY - JH98 - 79/10/6/5% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/malbec. Wild ferment in barrel and amphora, matured for 15 months in mainly biodynamic oak (50% new). An icon wine from a watershed vintage. This is Margaret River pedigree of the highest order; powdery fine tannins that shape and caress the perfectly ripe red fruits. The acidity is the driver over the tongue, the layers of flavour and texture seem never-ending. Show stopping. Pure fruit concentration. Blimey.
| SIM 0302 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $130 | |
| SIM 0301 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 |
DRINK NOW - OR - IN 40+ YEARS - JH98 - 87% Cabernet sauvignon, with 7/3/2/1% merlot/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. Matured for 15 months in barrique, 45% new. Cassis and red licorice on the nose, bay and saltbush, too. The palate is salty and fine with layers upon layers of spice and texture. The tannins are like finely textured gills, stacked as delicately as the folds in a mushroom. The length of flavour unfurls and extends across the palate, taking so long to fade that this entire tasting note is possible off one sip. The rest are just for pleasure. Drink it now, or in 40+ years from now… both will be possible.
| LIN 0067 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $95 |
GOSH - JH97 - Diana Madeline. The name evokes a lot of emotions, for what the woman stood for then and what the wine stands for now. The 2021 vintage equals 50 years of cabernet sauvignon plantings at Cullen. When released in early 2023, it was on what would have been her 100th birthday. It’s a wine that can come from nowhere else, so strong is its sense of place. Expect to swoon over aromas of roses, violets and mulberries doused in baking spices, a ferruginous quality as much as detailed if persuasive tannins. It’s complex, complete and structured. Gosh, what a wine. What a woman. The perfect combination.
| ACC 17689 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $139 |
DNA - JH97 - The best wines are distinctive with a clear DNA link to place. Diana Madeline is one such wine. An excellent deep purple hue with an ever-changing array of aromas: one minute spice, mulberries and cocoa when first poured, and next full of savoury notes of black olive tapenade, nori and menthol. As usual, it’s beautifully framed yet the fuller-bodied palate is plumped up by textural, expansive tannins and finishes long. Get a spot ready in the cellar, this has time on its side.
DELIGHTS - JH97 - This Diana Madeline delights as soon as it's poured. A deep, dark purple-red and so vibrant. Ah the aromas next – all cedar wood, oak spices and warm earth with fresh mulberries and blackberry essence. It has concentrated, fabulous fruit on the fuller-bodied palate yet there’s a fineness, too, with supple tannins enmeshed in lively acidity. It’s a gorgeous drink. Too young now as it’s still showing off its youthful exuberance. Give this a few more years in the cellar to build more complexity and detail; it's guaranteed to age beautifully for another two or so decades.
PLEASING - JH96 - A warm and dry vintage in ’24 yet the fruit was picked early, between the 11th and 19th January, with five hand harvests according to the biodynamic calendar. Aged 6 months in 50% new French oak puncheons. And yet, it's almost a pared-back style given the richness and flavour we’re accustomed to with Kevin John – everything reined in by fine acidity. It’s a pleasing outcome. Grapefruit and white peach, cedar/caramel oak spices and a light fragrance of lemon blossom. Not all upfront fruit; there’s a savouriness throughout, a fine layer of nougat/nutty lees and a tug of phenolics that adds more shape.
TRULY GREAT - JH98 - From the block always known as The Eagle, planted in '77, and still considered to be the best. Vivid, deep crimson-purple, it absolutely floods the senses with its glorious silk and velvet texture, its array of black fruits of every description, its superb tannin structure, and its low alcohol leaving the mouth as fresh as a spring day. A truly great wine.
| TUR 0975 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $112 |
MELANGLE - JH94 - A heady melange of dark fruits, licorice, anise and lavish levels of toasty oak; the palate is full of warm, ripe fruitcake character, with plenty of concentration;style of wine, the detail is evident with its light touch and the finish is very long.
| WAY 0273 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | SOLD |
| WAY 0277 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | SOLD |
BRICK HOUSE - RP97 - Sourced from a tiny single block of vineyard planted in 1915, the very deep garnet-purple 2013 Fifteen Shiraz is a brand new, 100% Shiraz wine aged in 100% new French oak. It opens to an incredible nose loaded with dark chocolate and crushed blueberries, plums, cloves, raw meat, licorice, tar and a whiff of incense. Big, powerful and concentrated, it is built like a brick house and framed by firm, grainy tannins. It finishes quite earthy and long in the finish. Less than 100 cases were produced.
| WAY 0139 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $235 | |
| WAY 0140 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $235 | |
| WAY 0141 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $235 | |
| WAY 0142 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $235 | |
| WAY 0143 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $236 | |
| WAY 0144 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $235 |
SENSATIONAL /THRILLING - JH96 - Quite sensational. Flesh, cut, drive, finish. Feels, tastes and is good. Lime, pear, gunmetal and mineral. Dry. Thrilling length.
| ACC 17582 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $57 | SOLD |
EXCEPTIONALLY SCENTED - JH97 - Light straw-green; an exceptionally scented, blossom-filled bouquet, including wild flowers as well as citrus and apple; a very intense, juicy and sculptured palate, with squeaky acidity running throughout. Likely to have a very low pH, and has a commensurately long palate and lingering aftertaste.
| MUL 2110 | 1 BOTTLE Museum Release -Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $64 | |
| MUL 2114 | 1 BOTTLE Museum Release -Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $64 | |
| MUL 2109 | 1 BOTTLE Museum Release -Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $64 |
DELIGHT & DETAIL - JH95 - There’s a lot of detail and delight with this savoury syrah, a 1.5% splash of viognier and 3.5% glug of mourvèdre also in the mix, with 5% whole bunches, then aged 14 months in French oak foudres plus puncheons. The tannins are key – they are shapely, plush, almost velvety, and augmented by aromas/flavours of dark fruit, warm spice, ferrous notes and gun smoke. Fuller bodied without feeling weighty, and the finish is long.
FINEST - JH96 - Cabernet franc is at the heart of Olmo’s Reward with glugs of cabernet sauvignon and for the first time mourvadre and a splash of malbec. This is up there as one of the finest to date. A seamless combination of the varieties morphs into a unified, harmonious red. Supple, fine tannins yet intrinsically powerful in a way, as they coat the fuller-bodied palate, but this never feels big or weighty. The finish is as long as it is beautiful.
LOVELY - JH96 - An off-dry style, and a portion is usually aged on lees in old oak and the rest in stainless-steel tank. This is lovely. Full of mandarin juice and peel, makrut lime and the creamiest nougat lees flavour – divine. It’s delicate, stylish and so appealing. Most importantly, the acidity brings everything in alignment, so the sweetness just fleshes out and rounds out the palate.
| MUL 2138 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $54 | |
| MUL 2139 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $54 | |
| MUL 2140 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $54 |
PROFOUND - WOW - JH97 - Certified organic. Fruit from the Isolation Ridge vineyard on the estate property. The nose is so fragrant that it takes some time to unpick it all. Winter mandarin, pink peppercorn, citrus blossom, blackberry, plum, licorice, clove, star anise, lavender and fennel flower. In the mouth, the graphite and black-tea tannins are a masterclass in svelte. They weave and thread through all aspects of the experience, becoming briefly savoury, before trailing out over a long finish. It is the tannins that reveal to us how inchoate this wine truly is. It needs time. It will be superlative. For now, it is tightly wound, coiled even and needs time to unfurl and show its potential. What a profound wine. Wow. Owns the Syrah moniker.
| MUL 2147 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $91 | |
| MUL 2148 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $91 | |
| MUL 2149 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $91 |
EXQUISITE - JH98 - In challenging Victorian vintages like '23 – cool and wet – the cream rises, quality producers standing up. At Giaconda, we see another stunner of a chardonnay released, a classic work of art that delivers a bouquet of citrus blossom scents with intense Meyer lemon, grapefruit pith, preserved lemon, white peach, nectarine and crushed stone. Has real presence and an immediate sense of concentration. The longer it remains open, the more it reveals, an ongoing treat of complexity in nectarine, peach, toasted almond and gentle spice with a stunning lemon butter-like richness and more, edged in finely laced acidity. Exquisite.
| LEE 0099 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $333 | |
| LEE 0100 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $350 | SOLD |
| LEE 0101 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $310 | |
| LEE 0102 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $310 | |
| LEE 0103 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 | |
| LEE 0104 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 |
NATURAL BEAUTY - JH95 - Hand-picked fruit, 40% whole bunches, matured 22 months in French oak (35% new). Quite the charmer, blessed with a natural beauty and restraint, a feature of the vineyard year in, year out. Begins with a heady aroma of blueberries, black fruits, dried herbs, Asian five-spice and anise. The use of whole bunches brings the palate into focus: taut, sappy and leafy amid the fruit, spice and vanillin oak, with some assertive tannins striding the middle palate. Quite beguiling but, if you can, afford this wine more time.
| TUR 0820 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | SOLD |
NOSE - RP97 - The 2005 Creek Block Shiraz was sourced from a 67-year-old estate vineyard and received the same barrel regimen as its colleagues. An exceptional nose of smoked meat, bacon, tar, violets, truffle, and blueberry muffin gives way to a full-bodied, voluptuous, Shiraz with layers of blue and black fruit flavors, spice box, and milk chocolate. Although it can be enjoyed now, it promises to evolve for 8-10 years and provide prime drinking through 2035. Greenock Creek Vineyard & Cellars, owned by Michael and Annabelle Waugh, remains one of South Australia’s iconic wineries. Start with a great terroir, add in old vine material and meticulous winemaking, and end with extraordinary results.
| STO 0229 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $104 | |
| STO 0230 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $105 |
INCREDIBLE ARRAY - RP95+ - Deep garnet in color, the 2007 Roennfeldt Road Shiraz displays an incredible array of aromas: sandalwood, oolong tea, cinnamon stick, cardamom, damp earth, tobacco, cedar, licorice and menthol over a core of dried mulberries and fruit cake. Very full-bodied and densely packed with spiced, dried berry flavors, it has a good line of enlivening acid, medium to firm grainy tannins and a long finish with the oak still poking through. It is approachable now but should drink best 2024+.
| ACC 16380 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $247 | |
| ACC 17193 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $247 |
LIVELY & LONG - JH94 - Blackcurrant fruit with touches of mint and leaf lead into a medium- to medium-full-bodied palate; lively and long, it has abundant cassis and blackcurrant fruit, a touch of mint again apparent, but not excessive; has absorbed the new oak, and has very good structure.
| ACC 16936 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $206 |
AGE MAGNIFICENTLY - JH96 - Some of the vines for this wine were planted by Cyril Henschke back in the 1960s. Matured in French oak (10% new) for 18 months. Bright blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with top notes of redcurrant and red cherry. Olive tapenade, cedar, light briar notes and mountain herbs. Fine lacy acidity and tight, powdery tannin provide the frame, and there is no doubt that this release will age magnificently.
| ACC 16786 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $130 | SOLD |
WONDERFUL - JH96 - A blend of organic/biodynamically farmed 99/1% cabernet sauvignon/merlot from the Cyril Henschke vineyard in the Eden Valley from the outstanding 2021 vintage. A beautiful bright magenta/crimson in the glass with a pretty, lifted aromatic profile. Plum, blackberry and blackcurrant with notes of sage, bay leaf, dried herbs, violets and crushed stone. Fruit pure and detailed with a very long, graceful finish and superfine, powdery, granitic tannins. A wonderful release for the Cyril Henschke.
| ACC 17764 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17765 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17766 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17767 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17768 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17769 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 |
RP 89 - The 1988 Hill of Grace is medium deep brown in color and replete with earthy and leathery aromas marred by a touch of rancio /aldehydic notes that seem to recover after a few minutes and show some treacle and Indian spice hints. It is an interesting wine, though just a bit flat and tired on the palate with of medium level chewy tannins, crisp acid and a good length on what remains of the fruit. It is mature. Robert Parker Wine Advocate – Lisa Perotti Brown – 25th April 2013
| NIK 0565 | 1 BOTTLE Severe label damage | Current Bid: $608 |
PROFOUND - RP97 - Deep brown-brick in color, the 1991 Hill of Grace offers intensely scented notes of warm black fruits, Chinese dried plums, dark chocolate-covered cherries and licorice. It is very pure, full-bodied and rich in the mouth, with profound and seductive flavors, a great backbone of crisp acid and firm, finely-grained tannins through the long finish. It is mature now but no rush to drink.
| PHI 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $501 | SOLD |
| JEN 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $501 | SOLD |
GREATEST GRACE? - JH99 - Henschke has deemed the 2019 release 'a vintage graced by the nurturer', a reference to Prue Henschke's work in the vineyards and relentless pursuit of perfection in the viticultural field. I used to live on the property between Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone and have seen first hand the hard work and love given to these vines, so hats off to the nurturer. Again, tiny yields in 2019, but it is a beautifully detailed, layered wine – as expected from these gnarled ancestor vines (160 years old). It's seamless with perfectly poised blackberry and dark berry fruits, five-spice, sage, softly spoken oak and the gentle tug of superfine, toothsome tannins. Lacy, mineral-laden acidity propels the wine forward and the finish is long, elegant and in perfect pitch. Grace by name, grace by nature.
RP97 - SUPER - The 2019 Hill of Grace Shiraz was picked earlier than the Mount Edelstone fruit, and it was picked on a single day, on March 8. This vineyard has more silt, and it brings out anise and five spice aromas in the wine. It ripens earlier than Mount Edelstone, is darker and more concentrated than the former and brings out the concentration of black fruit and fine tannins that the Eden Valley is so capable of. On the palate, the wine is super fragrant, elegant and fine, with bone broth and rose petals, peppercorns, crushed herbs, black cherry, raspberry pip, black tea and graphite. This is an eloquent wine, and it speaks of the evocatively beautiful place that is the Eden Valley. The tannins hold the fruit in a gentle way in the mouth. It is fine, such a fine expression—I must say, it's not at all what I expected of the 2019 vintage. It's a triumph of a wine. Super. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under Vinolok. Bottle number 0074.
| ACC 16642 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $749 |
ABSOLUTE CLASSIC - JH99 - This release will go down in the annals of Australian fine wine as one of the classic releases for Hill of Grace. With a strong vintage and even stronger pedigree, the gnarled old, circa 1860s-planted, shiraz vines have really come up with the goods with this release and as I sit to taste this wine with Stephen Henschke he shakes his head and says, "it just amazes me that my grandmother's grandfather planted these vines". The eagle-eyed will notice a skip in vintage. The yields were down horribly in 2020 across all the Henschke vineyards but man, did 2021 deliver. Super bright magenta/crimson in the glass with a wonderfully deep aromatic profile. Doris plum, blackberry and black cherry with hints of mace, sage, panforte, cedar, dark chocolate, tapenade, pepper, charcuterie, graphite, crushed quartz and violets. From the aromatic detail to the amplitude, purity and flow of fruit, the wine is absolutely on song with stunning length of flavour and presence on the palate, sailing away slowly with tight, fine-grained tannins and the most graceful of travels on the palate. An absolute classic for this wine.
| ACC 17788 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 | |
| ACC 17789 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 | |
| ACC 17790 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 | |
| ACC 17791 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 | |
| ACC 17792 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 | |
| ACC 17793 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $849 |
FUTURE GRACE - Hill of Roses is named as a tribute to Johann Gottlieb Rosenzweig. This wine is produced from shiraz vines from the Hill of Grace Vineyard. These vines were a mere 12 years old when the wine was first produced in 2001 and at present are too young to be considered for inclusion in the Hill of Grace vintages. As per the Barossa Old Vine Charter, an ‘old vine’ is equal to or greater than 35 years of age. The quality of the grapes from this selection, however, has produced a wine that has warranted a separate bottling and limited release.
| STO 0232 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 |
FUTURE GRACE - Hill of Roses is named as a tribute to Johann Gottlieb Rosenzweig. This wine is produced from shiraz vines from the Hill of Grace Vineyard. These vines were a mere 12 years old when the wine was first produced in 2001 and at present are too young to be considered for inclusion in the Hill of Grace vintages. As per the Barossa Old Vine Charter, an ‘old vine’ is equal to or greater than 35 years of age. The quality of the grapes from this selection, however, has produced a wine that has warranted a separate bottling and limited release.
| STO 0233 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $300 | SOLD |
FUTURE GRACE - Hill of Roses is named as a tribute to Johann Gottlieb Rosenzweig. This wine is produced from shiraz vines from the Hill of Grace Vineyard. These vines were a mere 12 years old when the wine was first produced in 2001 and at present are too young to be considered for inclusion in the Hill of Grace vintages. As per the Barossa Old Vine Charter, an ‘old vine’ is equal to or greater than 35 years of age. The quality of the grapes from this selection, however, has produced a wine that has warranted a separate bottling and limited release.
| STO 0234 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 |
GREATEST - JH98 - Vivid, deep purple-crimson; this is a blue-blood aristocratic shiraz, certain in its supreme power, length and balance, and not going out to prove anything. If anyone doubts its quality now, the scales will fall from their eyes over the decades ahead, as it will be recognised by all and sundry as one of the greatest Mount Edelstones.
INTENSITY & FOCUS - JH97 - The 61st vintage, from 101yo ungrafted dry-grown vines, matured for 18 months in 81% French and 19% American hogsheads (34% new). The decision to hold back the release of this shiraz until after the '14 was correct - this is a densely packed wine destined for a long life as vertical tastings have proved again and again, intensity and focus achieved without apparent effort. Medium-bodied, but with compelling black fruits riding on the back of tannins and carefully measured oak.
BEAUTIFUL - JH98 - Shiraz from the esteemed 107-year-old single-vineyard in Eden Valley, farmed organically and biodynamically and matured in French (80/20% new) and American (20%) oak for 18 months. Tiny yields due to untimely weather events during budburst and flowering. Stephen mentions they had to send a search party out to find grapes, 5.5t is all; in the end picked before the Wheelwright and after Hill of Grace. But what a beautiful wine. Pure blackberry and black cherry, sage, pepper, rosehip, crushed stone, softly spoken cedar tones and liminal tobacco and pan juice glimpses. Superfine savoury tannins and a long draw on the graceful finish.
| ACC 17734 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $209 | |
| ACC 17735 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $209 | |
| ACC 17736 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $209 |
GREATS - JH98 - I used to live next door to this 109-year-old vineyard for nearly a decade and have seen the hard work and attention to detail that goes into its farming. The 2021 is an absolute stunner from a great vintage and I've no doubt that this will age gracefully for decades. The length of flavour with this release is quite something; the fruit is sleek, plush and on-point pure. Blackberry, Doris plum and black cherry layer with spice and hints of sage, bay leaf, pepper, olive tapenade, anise, violets and stone. Velvety and graceful in its flow on the palate with a fresh mineral cadence and superfine, powdered granitic tannins for support. It'll go down as one of the greats.
| ACC 17770 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 | |
| ACC 17771 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 | |
| ACC 17772 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 | |
| ACC 17773 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 | |
| ACC 17774 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 | |
| ACC 17775 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $230 |
IMPRESSES GREATLY - JH96 - Eden Valley shiraz from estate vines, planted in 1968 and matured in 10% new oak (95/5% French/American) hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending. Notes of mulberry, blueberry and redcurrant flit above the bass tones of dark and black berries, cut with spice, licorice, dark chocolate, sage and a scattering of brambly, briar-like notes. Graceful red fruits and spice feature on the palate which, like all Henschke wines, shows detail and elegance with perhaps a little more red fruit coming through. The balance and clarity of form impresses greatly. - MAGMUMS
| ACC 17743 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $264 | |
| ACC 17744 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $264 | |
| ACC 17745 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $264 |
FAVOURITE - JH96 - Shiraz from the Wheelwright vineyard in Eden Valley; 18 months in 65/35% French/American oak (21% new). A relatively new addition to the Henschke quiver and one that is fast becoming a favourite of mine. Pure mulberry, blueberry and blackberry fruits with hints of fine spice, sage, bay leaf, licorice, dark chocolate and crushed stone. Firm granitic tannins melt into the wine, pure and true with a fine, lively cadence and superb fruit density and detail on display. Drink or hold.
| ACC 17646 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17647 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 |
GRACEFUL - JH95 - 100% organic/biodynamically farmed shiraz from the Wheelwright vineyard in the Eden Valley, planted by Cyril Henschke in the 1960s. Deep crimson with plush satsuma plum, black cherry and blackcurrant fruits underscored with hints of fine spice, sage, coal dust, cedar, violets, dark chocolate and crushed stone. I really like the flow of fruit in the Wheelwright this year; plush yet graceful with fine, compact tannins providing ample structure for cellaring.
| ACC 17758 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 | |
| ACC 17759 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 | |
| ACC 17760 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 | |
| ACC 17761 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 | |
| ACC 17762 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 | |
| ACC 17763 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $129 |
SUPERB- JH96 - Like all the 2009 Hentley Farm wines, the crimson-purple colour is superb, but this has a second quality to its flavour and structure, perfectly ripened blackberry, plum and black cherry fruits playing tag with each other and the quality oak in which they have been matured, in the end captured and calmed by outstanding tannins that both provide the necessary structure, but also add a savoury farewell to gently dry out the finish.
| TUR 0912 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $224 |
REMARKABLE - JH97 - Individual estate parcels, machine-harvested, destemmed and crushed, open-fermented with cultured yeast, 8 days on skins, matured in French oak (70% new) for 22 months, blended after 6 months in oak. An exotic bouquet with new shoe leather and a sprinkle of sultry spices, the full-bodied palate with supple blackberry fruits to the fore and an underlay of integrated French oak. There is a finesse to the overall texture, structure and flavour that is remarkable.
| TUR 0913 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $224 |
GREATEST - JH96 - Matured 22 months in 65% new French oak barrels. Barossa shiraz of brooding presence and effortless confidence. Black and red fruits of all kinds, polished and lush. Layers of spice. French oak rises to the challenge, yet sits obediently behind the fruit, flanked in high-cocoa dark chocolate and roast nuts. Finely crafted tannins and vibrant acidity coax out a magnificent finish. One of the greatest yet.
| FRA 0032 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $201 | SOLD |
HIGH QUALITY - JH96 - Immensely powerful and concentrated, yet not the least jammy or alcoholic. Glorious blackcurrant, spice, earth and bitter chocolate; fine, long tannins; very good oak management. High quality
| TUR 0881 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
BEAUTIFUL - JH96 - Deep purple; a beautiful wine in every respect; purity of classic varietal fruit; texture, structure and length all perfect; fine tannins and integrated oak. Cabernet Malbec. Six Trophies
| TUR 0882 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | |
| JOH 0084 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $167 | |
| JOH 0085 | 1 MAGNUM Slight stained label | Current Bid: $208 | |
| JOH 0087 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $208 | |
| JOH 0088 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $208 |
PEDIGREE - JH97 - Very stable, deep colour; a fine vintage of a very distinguished wine with a great pedigree; faultless blackcurrant cabernet fruit, fine-grained tannins and high quality oak; very good length.
| TUR 0883 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
SERIOUS - JH95 - Very serious wine; concentrated and intense; crystal clear varietal character, dark currant with faint hints of spice and olive; great structure
| JMU 0053 | 1 BOTTLE Label damage | Current Bid: $21 | SOLD |
POWERHOUSE - JH96 - A powerhouse release. It rips, it churns, it impresses and most all: it gets on with business. Dense black berried fruits of various persuasions, coffee-cream oak, sprinkles of dried herbs and a surge of flavour and tannin to close. It's like admiring a big sea; the power complete with the glory.
| XNE 2703 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $359 | |
| XNE 2702 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $359 | |
| XNE 2701 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $359 |
SUPERBLY HONED – JH96 - The star of the Jim Barry show - it plays a different medley. This is superbly honed, brimming with power and depth, full-bodied yet there's a certain refinement too. Astonishing colour, all dark ruby and bright with purple tinges, the tannins velvety and savoury, the finish long. Every detail taken care of and the end result a complete wine. Surprisingly approachable, but built to last a considerable distance.
| XNE 0720 | 1 BOTTLE Museum ReleaseEx-cellar | Current Bid: $364 | |
| XNE 0721 | 1 BOTTLE Museum ReleaseEx-cellar | Current Bid: $364 | |
| XNE 0722 | 1 BOTTLE Museum ReleaseEx-cellar | Current Bid: $364 |
RESPECT - JH96 - The Barry team extracts the maximum from the vineyard with a deft (14.2% alcohol) touch. It's savoury, earthy, its tannins are four square and ready, charred meat in another channel. It's utterly original, whether or not the family thought they could match Grange. To know the wine you don't have to love it, but you do have to respect it.
| ACC 16565 | 1 HALF BOTTLE | Current Bid: $169 |
SUPERSTAR - RP98 - I thought that the 2014 had completely stolen my heart, but then there was this 2018 The Armagh Shiraz, bottled under Stelvin. This saw no American oak, as 2017 was the first year of 100% French. This is the first year with puncheons (no hogsheads) as well. It is so good, sensational, with a perfect fruit profile and orange oil character. It is fresh, beguiling, supple, intense, elegant, refined and full—all the good and important things in confluence here. It has 13.6% and matured for 18 months in 75% new and 25% one-year-old French oak hogsheads (300 liters) and puncheons (500liters). This is a superstar. The drinking window may be conservative—closure and winemaking could put this at 40 years with ease. And beyond.
| XSA 2109 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 | |
| XSA 2111 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 | |
| XSA 2112 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 |
DECADENCE - JH95 - A thunderous release on hand. It feels a bit darker fruited and woody than the 2020, but maintains its impressive presence and structure galore. Opens with a procession of dark berries, clove and mahogany spice, fig and date richness, mocha with some turned earth and faint eucalyptus-like characters. The texture delivers grip, swerve and pucker. More of the clove/cedar woodiness here, dried fruits, ferrous characters, dark berries, stewed plum and a swish of bramble and minty lift to taste. The texture is fleshy but comes with ribbons of firm, gravelly tannin, the finish long and gently palate staining with saline and graphite mineral elements. Decadence plus. In its grippy, dry form now, it shows that time in cellar is advisable.
STRUCTURED & ELEGANT - JH97 - Represents the best wine of the vintage, sourced from the and Eden Barossa Valleys, matured for 20 months in French hogsheads (75% new). The aim is a structured (achieved in spades) and elegant (give it 10 years) expression of shiraz. My query on elegance is due to the obvious French oak: it simply needs a Grange-like decade to come into integrated balance.
| TUR 0961 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
MASTER - JH98 - Eligo is made from the best parcels of the vintage, fermented with submerged caps in small open fermenters, matured for 20 months in French hogsheads (50% new). The tannins and oak are built into the wine like an inlaid checkerboard table created by a master craftsman with decades of experience. Like John Duval.
| TUR 0962 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $81 | SOLD |
MASTER - JH97 - John Duval is a master blender. This is all about the best of the vintage, fruit from various sites across the and Eden Barossa Valleys, to morph into the mighty Eligo. A powerhouse of flavour yet never loses focus. Dark plums infused with star anise, cinnamon, Dutch licorice and soy sauce. Full-bodied with velvety rich tannins. It gets the most oak - French hogsheads 54% new, aged 18 months, and needs time to settle in. It will.
| TUR 0959 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $70 | SOLD |
NEW LEVEL - RP96 - The 2005 Shiraz “Johann Georg” raises the stakes to a new level. It is sourced from vines planted in 1875 and yielding a tiny 1.5 tons per acre. It spent 2 years in American and French hogsheads, two-thirds new. It is more complex aromatically with a splendid bouquet of toast, smoke, creosote, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, big and rich, but still relatively ungiving, it has remarkable concentration, purity, and length. It needs 6-8 years of further bottle age to begin revealing its full potential and will drink well through 2035 if not longer.
Troy Kalleske is owner/winemaker of his namesake winery. The family owns 400 acres, 200 cultivated, in the acclaimed Greenock region of Barossa where conditions are extreme and the vines are stressed. Much of their holdings are in older vines.
| JMO 0406 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $106 | |
| JMO 0407 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $106 |
CHAMELEON - JH96 - Bright, clear purple-crimson; bramble, spice and red fruit aromas move more to dark fruits on the juicy, yet velvety, palate; like many great pinots, this is a chameleon, changing each time you return to it, its deliciously savoury (yes, this is an odd conjunction of words) tannins a reprise of the bramble characters of the bouquet.
| ANT 0080 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $37 |
CERTAINTY -JH97 - After berry sorting, cold soak and maceration, pumping over three times daily, the wine pumped to French barriques for mlf and 9 months maturation. The Art Series range has a clear family approach to each wine, a focus and sophistication that brings certainty to its long-term maturity.
| TUR 0957 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $73 |
RICHER DEEPER FULLER - JH95 - Richer, deeper and fuller than most Art Series at this stage of its development; ripe stone fruit and melon fruit. Two bottles tasted; the second slightly tighter and racier than the other. Will develop more quickly than most. - MUSEUM RELEASE
| XLE 1065 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $234 | |
| XLE 1066 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $234 | |
| XLE 1067 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $234 |
FINESSE - JH96 - Still pale quartz-green; the finesse of Art Series Chardonnay when it is young is every bit as enjoyable as is the complexity it gains after six or seven years in bottle (under screwcap), its future still assured. We know that good bottles from the mid-1980s are still glorious, although most are now a shadow of their former selves. What we don't really know is how long the wines such as this live and flourish under screwcap. - MUSEUM RELEASE
| TUR 0765 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $200 | SOLD |
PERFECT EXAMPLE – JH97 - Craftmanship of the highest order in the vineyard and winery have combined to create a perfect example with this wine. The intensity and power unwind effortlessly, but with multiple aroma and flavour messages from the barrel fermentation and subsequent maturation of the fully ripe, pink grapefruit and peach at its core. - MUSEUM RELEASE
| TUR 0766 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $185 |
SHEER PURITY & INTENSITY - JH97 - Bright yellow-green; the sheer purity and intensity of this wine is remarkable, even in the context of its imperious ancestry; it has its own flavour and tactile characters stemming from the perfect balance between the white peach and grapefruit flavours carried through the very long and detailed palate by bright acidity. - MUSEUM RELEASE - code XLE
| LSA 0003 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $200 | SOLD |
EXQUISITE - JH98 - A very youthful bright green-quartz colour sets the scene for a riveting wine of exquisite purity and finesse. It almost floats in the mouth, so effortless is its invocation of all things chardonnay: white flowers, white stone fruits and immaculately balanced acidity. Oak? Well, yes it's there, but rendered mute by the fruit. Has greater staying power than any other Australian chardonnay.
| TUR 0768 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $175 | SOLD |
SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE - JH99 - This achieves another step up the quality ladder for Leeuwin Estate, seemingly impossible. There's been no change in the vinification, nor in the vineyard. The change is an increase in the intensity of the flavours, and hence their length and aftertaste. It's an extraordinary wine, among the greatest of Burgundy (and elsewhere in the world). Whatever you expect from its future development will be delivered. - MUSEUM RELEASE - code XLE
| ACC 17699 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $171 | |
| ACC 17700 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $171 | |
| XLE 1083 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $197 | |
| XLE 1084 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $197 | |
| XLE 1085 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $197 |
UTTER PLEASURE - JH98 - Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay on release is an achingly painful thing to drink, because once you've known the utter pleasure these wines bring at 5 or more years of age, it becomes a mess of cognitive dissonance to drink them so young. They are closed, taut, coiled, but more than anything, populated by rippling fruit that undulates untold through the interminably long finish. They typically don't reveal their kaleidoscopic spice and prismatic fruit flavour until a little further down the track. So, all I can humbly do here, is place the vintage in context. Through the lens of the cool year, this glitters with a purity and finesse that is deeply attractive. Aligned in style with the 2017. MUSEUM RELEASE
MESMERISING - JH97 - A wine that tells the story of chardonnay's evolution in Margaret River and remains at the top of its game because it's a pure expression of place as much as the producer. It’s refreshing, classy and superfine, the acidity reining everything in and towards an outrageously long finish. Mesmerising. MUSEUM RELEASE
CLASSY - JH97 - If you were sitting quietly in a corner, contemplating the vicissitudes of life, and a glass of this exceptional chardonnay came your way, well, all would be very well indeed. And you’d perk up. It’s a wine that tends to be scintillating in youth, driven by all manner of citrus flavours – lemon, pink grapefruit with a dash of lime but also a mille-feuille of leesy lusciousness, oak spices and a moreish savouriness. It seems powerful and explosive with its acidity, drive and energy yet manages to remain classy and complex. MUSEUM RELEASE
RARE BIRD IN NEAR SPECIMEN CONDITION
| JMU 0054 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $22 | SOLD |
FORGOTTEN HERO - From the Legend 1991 Coonawarra Vintage
| JMU 0057 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck & slight label damage | Current Bid: $15 | SOLD |
10/10 - The colour is medium to dark red with brick red hues; the nose is intensely fruity, showing a lifted fragrance of mulberries, raspberries, violets, redcurrants and some merlot, malbec earthiness. It has been aged in 51% new oak (225 litres Allier medium-toasted barrels) and this gives a spicy oakiness which remains a background feature because of the wine's generosity of the fruit. The palate has generous red and dark fruit flavours, good acidity, (quite lifted for a Moss Wood Cabernet) and soft spicy oak, with delightful, integrated tannins and a silky texture. The 1995 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon appears remarkably approachable at present with perfumed aromas of red berries while the palate shows lively spice, red cherry, mulberry and cedary oak flavours. The wine is rich and concentrated with a texture that is soft and silky. It has great depth and length, impressive intensity and powerful yet fine tannins on a long, lingering finish. It has all the hallmarks of a great Moss Wood Cabernet. We have always been haunted by the similarity of the 1995 Cabernet to the 1975. We are worried because we don't much like the idea of a twenty year cycle. However, unquestionably there has not been a wine with the same intense fruit flavours and silky tannins since the 1975 and this is the reason that the 1995 wine has a rating of 10. We believe that it may, in the long term, supplant the 1991 at the head of the queue of Moss Wood Cabernets. MOSS WOOD website
| STO 0235 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $135 | SOLD |
10/10 - The Moss Wood 2005 Cabernet has a pure voluminous fruit statement of perfumes of violet, fruits of the forest, mulberry, blueberry and blackcurrant aromas - the palate is a statement of vibrant dark fruits which fill the palate from front to back. There’s tight structure, balance and opulence (though it’s not soft and plump) with flavours jumping out and grabbing you by the throat. The oak flavours and the tannins sit seamlessly at the back, giving the wine near-perfect balance. Peter Forrestal comments that this is an exceptional Moss Wood Cabernet, wildly fragrant with intense, fine blackcurrant and dark plum flavours, fleshy, velvety texture, and neatly integrated fine, ripe tannins on a finish that lingers. It is tightly structured and quite firm in the mid-palate at present although it is showing some beguiling succulence that marks it as a wine with a huge future. MOSS WOOD website
| STO 0237 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $115 | SOLD |
RATHER LOVELY - JH96 - There’s as much a Moss Wood DNA thumbprint as a regional one here. This shows off violets, cedary/toasty oak (thankfully not too much), chocolate and a slight ironstone character. Fuller bodied yet the palate is smooth and contained with fine-grained, almost silky tannins, plus dabs of sweet mulberries and blackberries with refreshing acidity tying everything together. Rather lovely now but will garner more complexity in time.
HIGHER ORDER - JH97 - Bright, light straw-green; rich and layered stone fruit (white and yellow peach), fig and balanced by citrussy acidity. Oak handling is of a higher order - as befits the wine.
| JIB 0055 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 | |
| JIB 0064 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 | |
| JIB 0065 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 | |
| JIB 0066 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 | |
| JIB 0067 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 | |
| JIB 0068 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $52 |
ANOTHER GREAT - JH97 - This is a masterclass in refinement. It is svelte and streamlined, the cool, mineral spool of flavour across the tongue is what the 2019 vintage can look like at its most restrained and harnessed. The length of flavour basically flutters out over the finish, so weightless and enduring. The 2018 that came before it had a thundering, legendary quality - legs widespread, hands on hips, power pose. This is the creative in the family, the quiet guy. It's intriguing and intelligent and thoughtful ... poignantly red fruited, spicy and super-supple. I'm descending into hyperbole. It's unnecessary. This is another great Moss Wood release.
| SRO 0588 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $108 | |
| SRO 0587 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $108 |
FINESSE - JH94 - All about subtlety and finesse; while medium-bodied, has deceptive intensity and length, the five varieties seamlessly moulded into a mix of black and red fruits, fine tannins and a gently savoury finish. Oak? Yes, it's there, but you don't notice it.
| TUR 0836 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $320 |
FIND ITS FEET - H95 - 45% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 16% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 4% malbec, all vinified separately matured in French oak (35% new) in various larger vessels and vats. The bouquet is gently cedary/savoury, and the palate adds herbal/green olive notes to the finish. It's still to find its feet (all five of them).
| TUR 0792 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $108 | |
| TUR 0793 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $108 |
HARMONY - JH98 - A quintet of 44% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 5% each of malbec and petit verdot, all in harmony. Heady aromatics, the fruit pristine and lightly spiced. But it's the medium-bodied palate that really woos: focused and seamless with superfine yet detailed tannins. Of course it has the beauty and charm of youth but age will send this to another level. Did I mention elegance? Tick.
| TUR 0796 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | |
| TUR 0797 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | |
| TUR 0798 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 |
UNDERSTATEMENT - JH98 - A blend of 44/30/18/4/4% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. From a cool year, with the poor flowering reducing the crop of the Quintet varieties by around 50%, this is an essay in elegance and understatement. A medium, bright and translucent ruby red, this is beautifully perfumed with aromas of just-ripened blackcurrants, red cherries, rose petals and gentle cedar notes from the oak. The palate is exceptionally pure fruited and gently textured. The wine finishes with these incredibly silky, long tannins that are in perfect harmony with the fruit and acid. This majestic wine is gorgeous to drink even now but those that still have some in their cellar in 10–15 years (if not longer) will be grateful.
| TUR 0799 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 | |
| TUR 0800 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 |
TREMENDOUS -JH96 -57/43% cabernet sauvignon/shiraz from Block 10 and Block 5 respectively. This Bin 180, from the outstanding 2021 Coonawarra vintage, is a commemorative release to celebrate Penfolds' 180th anniversary. It is a wine that evokes memories of previous releases such as the Bin 7, Bin 920 and Bin 620. There is an undisputed pedigree here and it shows with the classic Penfolds leitmotif of fruit density, balance and elegance writ large. Beautifully composed with a pitch perfect presence on the palate. Pure dark and blackberry fruits, sheathed in spice, cedar, licorice, dark chocolate, panforte, olive tapenade, wild herbs, violets and earth. Poised and detailed with a real sense of grace to its flow across the palate, fine, al dente tannins and a sleek, streamlined travel. It's an impressive, harmonious release befitting such a milestone and one that will be enjoyed for decades to come. Tremendous stuff.
| JIR 0020 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $668 | |
| JIR 0021 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $668 | |
| TUR 0951 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $705 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| BOR 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2004, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $132 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0146 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine 2010 Clinic & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $560 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0148 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2016 & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $384 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now - Medium-deep crimson. Intense blackcurrant, green pepper and earthy aromas with dark chocolate, roasted walnut and polished leather notes. The palate is full bodied with fine-grained leafy tannins and cedar oak notes, but the fruit is drying out.
| NIK 0487 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $117 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2026 Medium-deep crimson. Intense blackcurrant, mocha/praline aromas with herb garden and mint characters. Ample and richly flavoured with mature cassis and dark chocolate notes, vigorous fine-grained tannins and integrated mocha/cedar oak. Still holding well. A classic Bin 407 vintage.
| JMO 0296 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $98 | |
| JMO 0297 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $98 |
BEST EVER MAX MAGIC - PERFECT & PRICELESS- 5 Star - Drink now to 2040. The 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A is one of the greatest Australian wines ever made. In a world where egos readily clashed, the Bin 60A unified wine critics and show judges. It is Penfolds most successful show wine, winning 19 trophies and 33 gold medals. A meeting of oenological, physical and philosophical achievement, 1962 Bin 60A is a cross-regional blend that demonstrates the emerging Penfolds House Style of the 1960s and the success of blending cabernet and shiraz. In seeking his “ethereal” wine, Max Schubert identified that the perfumed cassis/violet aromas, elegant flavours and fine-grained tannins of cool-climate Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon could be complemented by the warm-climate characteristics of ripe fruit and round chocolaty textures of Barossa Valley shiraz. Medium-deep brick crimson. Lovely ground coffee, vellum, roasted walnut, tobacco leaf and chinotto aromas with salted liquorice notes. Beautifully concentrated roasted coffee, tobacco and roasted walnut flavours, supple and rich midpalate creaminess, fine loose-knit lacy/silky textures and underlying notes of tar and roses. Gorgeous density, a fine-boned structure and a beautiful feathery plume. In suspended animation. How long will it last? Very rare, with only 425 dozen made. Two-thirds Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon (Sharam’s Block and Block 20) and one-third Barossa Valley shiraz (Kalimna Vineyard’s original shiraz blocks). Vinified and oak matured at Magill Estate. Bottled December 1963 at Auldana. “Gentle, penetrating, ethereal and evergreen. Reserved, effortlessly expansive and silky textured. Gracefully fades at the finish.” (NB) “A polished leather and spicy bouquet followed by a silken palate with flavours spanning forest floor, flower gardens, lacquered wood and antique leather. A marvellous wine in wonderful condition.” (JH) Penfolds Rewards of Patience 8th edition
| BNS 0002 | 1 BOTTLE High shoulder, stained label, capsule - embossed Penfolds "zinc" capsuleEx-cellar | Current Bid: $12000 |
VERY RARE - VERY SPECIAL - RP99+ - The release of the 2004 Bin 60A following the epic 1962 Bin 60A is old news now, but the wine was looking very fine indeed when I tasted it so I thought I’d add a note. Blended of 56% Coonawarra Cabernet from Block 20 and 44% Barossa Shiraz from Koonunga Hill Block 56G and Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, the wine was matured in 100% new American oak hogsheads for 13 months. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers restrained notes of game, smoked meat, earth, blackberry and black currant liqueurs, yeast, marmite-toast plus whiffs of dried lavender, cedar and bark. Very crisp, very tight and very firm, this taut medium-bodied wine is still all structure at this stage, going very long and earthy in the finish. Give it time and consider broaching it from 2014. It should drink well into the 2030s if not beyond. With a lot of changes happening around the Foster’s Group, it is business as usual at Penfolds…which seems to operate within its own world. But this is no small world. The vineyard holdings here are vast and the connections with growers go back generations. Chief winemaker Peter Gago is the very well spoken front-man for the production team backed-up Kym Schroeter in charge of the whites and Steve Lienert crafting some very fine, consistent and sometimes inspired reds. If Champagne is all about the art of blending, then Penfolds is the Champagne of Australian wine. Those that think large companies producing wines that emphasize blending can’t make great wines need to think about the Champagne model or simply try some of Penfolds top wines to become believers. That said – check out their recent single vineyard release: the very special 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon, the first release of a wine made purely from this 100+ year old single block (perhaps the oldest block of Cabernet in the world?) since 1996.
| WAY 0074 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $738 |
LOST LEGEND? - Rarer than hen's teeth - Regal lineage, Sibling to Bin 60a 1962 - Made to the highest standard - Value? Try and find another bottle
| ALC 0014 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder & label damage | Current Bid: $468 |
707 SENSATION - JH96 - This deeply coloured, full-bodied cabernet finishes its fermentation in new American oak barrels, where it sends the next 13 months; it has an array of blackcurrant and redcurrant fruit drawn from the best cabernet vineyards of Penfolds (and from some growers). The oak and tannins add another dimension, and the wine will still be improving 20 years hence.
| 08G 0050 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $360 | |
| 08G 0051 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $360 |
PERFECT 70 - From the dawn of Australain dry red table wine - From the experimental Penfolds Grange days - Bin 80C is a close relative to the fabulously rare and legendary 1954 Penfolds Grange Hermitage
| NIK 0386 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 1992, label damage | Current Bid: $2800 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2045 - Deep brick crimson. Intense cassis, blackcurrant, polished leather, dark chocolate and sage aromas with espresso/leafy complexity. Lovely concentrated blackcurrant, dried plum, mulberry, and liquorice flavours, fine-grainy tannins, silken/supple mid-palate and underlying roasted chestnut/vanilla oak. Finishes cedar/leafy firm. Beautiful density, power and elegance. One of the great Penfolds reds of this decade. “A seriously good wine and developing very well. Has the blood lines of Bin 64.” (JH) “A towering monument to Barossa cabernet, built on dark, ripe fruit and load-bearing tannins. A celebration of the tanned muscular varietal character that old vines in warmer climes can bring.” (NR)
| 106 0894 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $560 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2060 Medium-deep crimson, intense blackberry, dried plum, grilled nut, shellac, walnut panforte, cherry liqueur and chinotto aromas with roasted chestnut and vanilla notes. Generous ripe blackberry, dark chocolate, panforte, grilled nut and shellac flavours with chocolaty tannins, mocha vanilla spice and oak notes with beautifully balanced acidity. Finishes chocolaty firm with plenty of mineral length and freshness. A decadent and hedonistic wine with extraordinary fruit density and attack. One of the greatest. 95 percent shiraz, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. Voted Red Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator magazine in December 1995. “A famous vintage and wine. Everything is laid out with infinite precision finesse and length. At the peak of perfection.” (JH) “Fresh, vibrant and voluminous with layers of cedar, spice and mulberries and underlying but animated tannins.” (FW)
| SCF 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2016 | Current Bid: $632 |
FABULOUS THIRTY - JH95 - In the manner of all great stayers, has picked up pace markedly over the past year. Deeply coloured, ripe cherry, spice, vanilla and a hint of licorice rumble through the bouquet; the palate is powerful and sustained by sweet tannins, the plum and black cherry fruit providing the core for the future.
| STO 0280 | 1 BOTTLE Slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $480 | |
| STO 0281 | 1 BOTTLE Slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $480 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience – Drink 2036 to 2060 Deep crimson. Intense pure elderberry, blackberry and liquorice aromas with roasted chestnut, vanilla and camomile notes. Plush and densely packed with elderberry, blackberry liquorice flavours, plentiful fine chalky tannins and underlying mocha, vanilla and roasted chestnut oak notes. Finishes chocolaty firm with abundant sweet fruits. Classical, powerful and expressive Grange with superb density, richness and balance. Still needs time to unfold. 96 percent shiraz, 4 percent cabernet sauvignon. Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate (Adelaide). “Expressive blueberry kirsch dark chocolate notes. Beautifully proportioned palate with lovely density and richness. Best to step back from this.” (NB) “Watch this wine closely because it’s a veryspecial and important Grange!” (PG)
THE VERY BEST - Under the circumstances - Great wine from a shocking vintage - RARE
| LSA 0002 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $410 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience – Drink 2035 to 2060 - Deep crimson. Fresh blackberry, mulberry,mocha and liquorice aromas with vanilla spice and espresso notes. Richly flavoured with plush sweet blackberry, mulberry, liquorice flavours, plentiful fine chalky dense tannins, grilled nut, mocha, vanilla, meaty complexity, superb mid-palate buoyancy, viscosity and integrated fresh acidity. Finishes chocolaty al dente firm. Still elemental in structure with amazing density and richness. A great Grange vintage. 98 percent shiraz, 2 percent cabernet sauvignon. Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. “Beautifully controlled and restrained with superb black fruit, graphite notes and compact tight porcelain structure. Will steadily reveal itself like a Fabergé egg.” (NB) “Full bodied, intense and unrelenting. Masterly management of tannins, oak and high-quality fruit make this an outstanding Grange.” (JH)
| MDW 0002 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $700 | |
| EST 0001 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $768 |
MOST DECORATED - PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Bin 95 - Rewards of Patience - Drink now. Medium crimson. Fresh and mature with parsnip, aniseed and slightly soupy miso and demi-glace notes with a touch of crushed ant. Developed gamey, roasted walnut, roasted parsnip, dark chocolate and leathery flavours, with fine loose-knit/sinewy tannins and long fresh acidity. Some dried roses and vellum notes. Still holding, but rare. 90 percent shiraz and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Magill Estate and Morphett Vale (Adelaide), Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley) and McLaren Vale. The most decorated Grange – winner of 12 trophies and 52 gold medals during its relatively short career on the Australian wine show circuit. Spent only nine months in oak. Named by US magazine Wine Spectator as one of 12 “Wines of the Millennium” in 2000. Bin 95 is the most common bottling and commercially available. Also released as Bins 13, 14, 53, 54 and 148A. “Still showing some cut flowers, mocha and sweet fruits but not a great bottle despite its fame and history.” (JH) shoulders, expansive tannins and slightly menacing snarl despite its flagging energy.” (NR)
| NIK 0555 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2018, slight label damage | Current Bid: $8000 |
PENFOLDS FOUR STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink Soon. Medium-deep brick crimson. Intense roasted walnut panforte and hazelnut aromas with apricot, stone fruit, cedar and floral notes. Generous developed panforte and apricot flavours, sweet and plentiful tannins and underlying roasted walnut, grilled nut, vanilla oak complexity with integrated acidity. Finishes slightly leathery but chalky firm with attractive espresso and ground coffee notes. Just past its peak of development, although the elements are still aligned. Rare. 95 percent shiraz, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Morphett Vale (Adelaide), McLaren Vale. Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner. Released as Bin 95 (also as Bins 69, 70 and 71). “Dried leaves, faded roses, liquorice and ecclesiastical smoke. Muscular firm in structure with the fruit fading away.” (NR) “Spice box, cedar and sandalwood. Tertiary on entry but the finish still carries delicate sweet fruit. Graceful and elegant.” (FW)
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0554 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 1991, label detached | Current Bid: $2400 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| STO 0155 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2012, slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $1084 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - RP90 - A blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, this was considered "a good wine from an undistinguished vintage." It certainly was outstanding in June in Adelaide, showing a terrific nose of blackberry jam intermixed with sweet earth, plum, brown sugar, and tobacco. Full-bodied, deep, rich, and fully mature, this layered, concentrated, very fresh wine even exhibited some espresso-infused chocolate in the finish. It should drink well for another 5-7 years. RP 2002 TASTING
| JKN 0002 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2004 & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $720 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - PENFOLDS FOUR STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink Soon. A sturdy Grange with surprising richness and muscular frame. Barnyard notes are now beginning to dominate but some good bottles around. 90 percent shiraz, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and Coonawarra.
| NIK 0437 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2008, slightly stained label | Current Bid: $1600 | |
| STO 0276 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2012 & label damage | Current Bid: $1200 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - RP100 - 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!
FABULOUS FORTY - CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| STO 0279 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2010 & slight label damage | Current Bid: $1200 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to past. At the end of its optimum life. Some bottles holding up with advanced maturity but fine sinewy tannins. Very rare. 90 percent shiraz, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Magill Estate and Morphett Vale (Adelaide) and Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley). The third and final “hidden Grange”. Released as Bin 46 (also Bins 49 and 95). The Bin 95 bottling was the most commercially available. Specimen - Very Collectable
| NIK 0567 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder & slight label damage | Current Bid: $8000 |
WOW - JH98 - Wow. A 61/39% blend of Barossa shiraz and Coonawarra cabernet led to 1962 Bin 60A, Max Schubert's single greatest wine. This inherits Bin 60A's regional and varietal blend, its extreme longevity and impeccable balance between fruit, oak and tannins. All it needs is lots of time.
| TUR 0649 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $388 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2035 Medium-deep crimson. Attractive dark cherry, plum and praline aromas with hint of tar. Plush and concentrated with dark cherry, plum, blackberry, rich dark chocolate and tarry flavours, fine-dense satin tannins and underlying roasted chestnut and vanilla oak. Chalky dry finish with attractive mineral length. “Fresh black fruits progressively unfurl their sails. A powerfully complete wine.” (JH) “A gorgeous wine with beautiful dark fruits and polished velvety tannins.” (JR)
| KEL 0222 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $100 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2038. Medium-deep crimson. Classic dark berry and dark chocolate aromas with meaty vanilla notes. Dense blackberry, praline and graphite flavours with fine grainy/al dente textures, persistent fine acidity and savoury mocha oak. Well-balanced wine with underlying roasted chestnut, polished leather notes. “Luminous, elegant and succulent with clear deep dark berry fruits, and persistent, vice-like tannins.” (NB) “An exceptional RWT with layered depth and power.” (NR)
| 106 0876 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $140 | |
| 106 0877 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $140 |
PRODIGIOUS - JH98 - May explain why Kalimna Bin 28 is the least of the Bin series reds, for this wine takes the finest shiraz from the Barossa Valley once Grange has had its choice. The call is made early, because this wine spends 16 months in French oak hogsheads (75% new), finishing its ferment in that oak, separating it at birth from Grange in American oak. The bouquet abounds with black fruits, with sub-notes of dark chocolate, licorice and some charcuterie. The palate is drop-dead gorgeous, a curious description given its strongly savoury flavour range, but it achieves the unlikely. As with all these wines, the tannin structure is exceptional, the length prodigious.
| TUR 0617 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 | |
| TUR 0618 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 | |
| TUR 0619 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 |
QUIXOTIC - JH97 - Bottle no. BX084. The quixotic RWT (Red Wine Trial) name used since '87 now has a bin number and a bottle number, the latter to thwart counterfeiting. It completed fermentation in French hogsheads, followed by 17 months maturation. The power and length of the wine is awesome, as is the price - but it's what the global market is prepared to pay.
| TUR 0614 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 | |
| TUR 0615 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 | |
| TUR 0616 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| STO 0152 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds re-corking Clinic 1997, very high shoulder, slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $188 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2032 -Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark cherry, roasted walnut and sandalwood aromas with cocoa notes. A richly concentrated wine with apricot, raspberry and dark cherry flavours, fine lacy textures and attractive mid-palate suppleness. Firm and chalky al dente finish with chinotto notes. Really lovely wine with elegance, suppleness and developed sweet fruit. “Opulent and creamy with kirsch, raspberry liqueur, potpourri and exotic spices, fine plentiful tannins and resonating floral notes. A powerful wine with underlying delicacy.” (JR) “Dried cherries with clove, cedar and pencil shavings. Modulated power on the palate with a core of sweet red fruit, spice, cigar box and coating tannin finesse.” (FW)
CLASSIC VINTAGE - JH95 - I am singularly unconvinced that St Henri should be one sixth of the price of Grange, particularly with a classic vintage such as this. Piquantly ripe and fragrant, it is fruit-driven from start to finish (still matured in large, old oak vats), with a smooth and supple fresh berry palate and plush tannins
| KEL 0206 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $113 | |
| KEL 0207 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $113 | |
| KEL 0208 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $113 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink 2023 to 2045 - Medium-deep crimson. Fresh blackberry, cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate, ginger and five-spice aromas. Beautifully concentrated black cherry, cassis and liquorice flavours, ripe and dense chocolaty textures, rose garden and aniseed notes and pronounced indelible acidity. Finishes chalky firm and minerally. A great St Henri vintage. “Beautifully composed with ripe blackberry and raspberry fruits and fresh liquorice graphite notes. Very stylish and silky with a very intricate weave of succulent fruits and extra fine-grainy tannins.” (NB) “Joins the quintet of 1971, 1990, 1996, 2004 and 2016 as one of the all-time greats.” (PG)
SUPER - RP94+ - A huge rush of cedar and vanilla greet the nose on opening, followed by waves of cassis and boysenberry fruit. The 2018 802.A Superblend is a mix of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Shiraz, all raised in 100% new American oak for 22 months and blended just prior to bottling. With components drawn from several of South Austrralia's premium growing regions (led by Barossa and McLaren Vale), this is a full-bodied, lush wine that finishes with driving tannins and a long, velvety finish, yet it doesn't seem as seamless or elegant as its 802.B counterpart. Perhaps it just needs more time? Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
| TUR 0650 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $520 |
MONUMENTAL - RP99 - When Peter explained this wine to me prior to tasting it, I was skeptical. Nervous. Hesitant. "It's the essence of Yattarna, in effect," Gago said. The NV V is composed of 20% each of 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and the yet to be released 2021 Yattarna. It's risky behavior, this. Each of the already-bottled older vintages are emptied under gas pressure and blended—an equal share each way. It's tempting to compare it to the G3, G4, G5 project, however in each of those wines, the vintage contributions are distinct and recognizable. Here, the vintages are synergistic, melded together—easier to understand in the context of reserve wines in Champagne, or even a solera. There is pert acidity and precision on the front palate, presumably thanks to the 2021 vintage. Through the middle palate and finish, the wine plumes and grows in the mouth. It is infinitely more complex and deep than the single-vintage Yattarna tasted next to it. This V has a thundering baritone, a resonance to the reverberation of flavor in the mouth. It almost vibrates. It is only through the finish that you can taste the evolution of the oldest wines—a lick of salt, almond skin, brine and tasted crushed nuts. This is a monumental wine. A 360-degree view of Chardonnay. Truly kaleidoscopic. 2,200 bottles in total.
| JIR 0018 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $636 |
GOSSAMAR - JH99 - From Blewitt Springs, an easterly slope planted in '99. Open-fermented, 14 days on skins, pressed to barrel (50% new French hogsheads) on gross lees for 9 months, racked for the next 9 months. Marvellous wine, fluid, juicy and vibrant, with a very long finish, the tannins a gossamer web.
| TUR 0695 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | |
| TUR 0696 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
CLASSIC - JH95 - Classic Pierro chardonnay with its power and drive thanks to spicy sweet vanilla oak and creamy butterscotch flavours from lees stirring and mlf. Yet it's balanced and harmonised by neat acidity, grapefruit, white peach and some smoky sulphides.
| JIB 0093 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 | |
| JIB 0094 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 | SOLD |
| JIB 0095 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $76 |
PURE - JH96 - 100% mlf, matured in French oak (50% new) for 12 months. Some wines demand a minute before you can put words to them. This has tremendous length of flavour, such is the quality of the fruit, that it just forges on and on. Suffice to say, the full mlf style has helped accentuate creamy, powerful fruit, and seamlessly applied oak caresses it through the finish. This is very pure – crystalline in fact – but it is very young right now.
| JIB 0010 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $76 | |
| JIB 0011 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $76 | |
| JIB 0012 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $76 |
BEAUTIFUL - JH96 - A beautiful wine, intriguingly more elegant than the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot LTCf, with a silky fragrance and mouthfeel, the accent on a rainbow of red fruits, the tannins exceptionally fine.
| WAY 0239 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 | |
| WAY 0240 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 | |
| WAY 0238 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 | |
| WAY 0237 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 | |
| WAY 0235 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 | |
| WAY 0233 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 |
EXCELLENT - JH94 - Retains good hue; has excellent balance and structure to the array of cassis and blackcurrant fruit, finishing with fine tannins.
| WAY 0252 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 | |
| WAY 0251 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 | |
| WAY 0250 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 |
A LOT TO LIKE - JH95 - There seems to be a lightness of touch to the 2020 Pierro offerings. This is quiet and quite ethereal, laced with red currants and blueberries, cedary oak and spices, dark chocolate and forest floor aromas. A touch shy of medium bodied, the tannins are supple, there’s chalky acidity throughout and a lot to like.
| ACC 17316 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $64 | |
| ACC 17511 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $64 | |
| ACC 17513 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $64 |
ELEGANT- INTENSE- JH97 - Hand-picked fruit, destemmed, 12-day ferment, 10 days post-ferment soak with vessel sealed; matured in French puncheons (25% new) for 11 months. Vivid crimson purple, slightly deeper than that of its siblings. The bouquet is extremely complex, with satsuma plum, dark cherry and a crescendo of spices, the palate as elegant as it is intense, and throwing in a pinch of savoury tannins.
| ANT 0087 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $42 |
BEAUTIFUL THING - RP97 - The 2015 Kraehe Shiraz is a wine in stasis; it is aging slowly, albeit with mineral grace and poise. The fruit is intense, make no mistake, but it exerts a sense of balance and harmony over the palate and drags out through the long finish. This speaks of Marananga, it speaks of Shiraz and it speaks of Dave Powell too. It's a beautiful thing, this wine, and it has a long future in front of it, as all of these wines do. It's built for aging. And the 2015s are looking magnificent in 2024. The oak is charry and evident, but it works so well with the fruit. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
| XPO 0414 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0368 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0367 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0365 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0363 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0362 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 |
SUPERB - RP97 - The 2015 Steinert Shiraz hails from Flaxman's Valley, and it's composed and fresh, spicy and vibrant. What a wine this is. Superb. The oak is starting to ameliorate into the fruit, and the fruit spools through the finish in tendrils and wisps; the curls of flavor fade like the smoke from a candle. Elegant. 14,.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
| XPO 0672 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0671 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0670 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0668 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0416 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 | |
| XPO 0415 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $533 |
FRESHNESS & EXOTICISM - RP96 - Eden Valley Shiraz can reach heady heights of bacon fat, blueberries and graphite, in a single fell swoop. It’s the fruit, not the oak, that takes us there and what defines the best. The trick is the inherent balance of freshness and exoticism in the mouth. The Steinert vineyard (480 meters in elevation) in Flaxman’s Valley is more than 130+ years old and was once an old Rockford vineyard. Low yielding at one ton to the acre, the wine was matured for 20-24 months in oak. This 2017 Steinert Flaxman’s Shiraz is spicy and very long. The oak is still prominent, but the fruit has an opulence and plushness beneath it that shows the longevity of the wine. This has not reached its first peak yet.
| XPO 0731 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 | |
| XPO 0732 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 | |
| XPO 0730 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 | |
| XPO 0768 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 | |
| XPO 0785 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 | |
| XPO 0739 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $529 |
TOUR de FORCE - RP96-99 - The Anamorphosis project features Shiraz from Kalimna in the Barossa Valley aged in new oak from four of France’s finest coopers. Like most of the other R Wines, it has exceptionally creative packaging. There will be 100 cases of the 2005 Shiraz which will spend 30 months in new French oak. It was sourced from vineyards with 40- and 100-year-old vines. Opaque purple in color, it offers up an intense perfume of pain grille, scorched earth, tar, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Voluptuous, thick rich, and full-bodied, it is a powerful yet seamless expression of Shiraz from a great terroir. It will age effortlessly for 20 years but can be enjoyed young because of its mammoth fruit. It is a winemaking tour de force.
| TUR 0840 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $800 |
AGE OF AQUARIUS - The time of sharing and Kibbutz Krondorf - Super Rare, old BP
| WAY 0076 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $185 | |
| WAY 0077 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $185 |
A CLASSIC - JH95 - The brown glass, high-shouldered proprietary bottle gives the right message: this is a classic, gently understated Barossa Shiraz that will sail on for decades if the dubiously short cork permits. Drinking it sooner would not be a capital offence.
NO SECRETS - JH95 - Medium red-purple; this is in the heartland of Barossa Valley shiraz style, the custom-made bottle a throwback to the 1940s; the bouquet is fragrant, and hides no secrets: silky, ripe tannins, abundant blackberry and spice fruit, and oak in perfect unison.
| NIK 0472 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $165 | |
| NIK 0415 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $176 |
AGE - JH96 - Deep garnet with a purple hue; this benchmark wine from an iconic producer is laden with vibrant purple and black fruits, floral notes, earthy complexity and well executed oak handling; the palate is juicy, direct and layered, with fine-grained tannins providing an armchair ride for the vibrant and plush fruit that is on board. This will age tremendously well, but many will enjoy it without giving it that chance.
| GJ3 0040 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $193 | |
| GJ3 0041 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $193 |
NOT - JH95 - Difficult season, but it's not a difficult wine. Fans of the label with some already stashed in their cellar can breathe easy. It's fuller in body than the season might have predicted, but more elegant than is usual for this wine. Blackberry, raspberry, coffee grounds, toast and vanilla fill it out, with herbs and peppers whispering through the finish. Tannin is the key: it's ripe, fine, marked by its finesse and yet determined to get its point across. Perhaps not a long-termer, but no doubting either its merit or drinking appeal.
| JMO 0087 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $165 | SOLD |
| JMO 0086 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $165 | SOLD |
GREAT - JH96 - A great classic from a great vintage. At the end of the day, it's all about the grapes that come from loyal growers who shook hands with Rocky O'Callaghan many years ago. There are no magic tricks in the winery, just attention to detail.
| GJ3 0042 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $192 | |
| GJ3 0043 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $192 |
ALLURE - JH95 - The beautiful label, traditional brown bottle, and the wine within, all have an allure. It's the richness and depth of the tannin structure - velvety and ripe, the suppleness on the palate, the savoury thread with coffee grounds, pepper, bitumen and yes oak but everything in its place plus its heady perfume with florals and red plums.
| NIK 0419 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 |
PERFECT - JH99 - Quintessential Basket Press, bowing to no passing fad or fancy, the high-shouldered, brown glass bottle with Rockford Wines embossed on its base and the distinctive label that will never change because it's so perfect. It's a manifestation of the wine it contains, always very good, this vintage outstanding. I taste well over 5000 wines per year for the Wine Companion, and am never tempted to swallow during a day-long tasting session - well, this wine was the exception to prove the rule. Its balance, mouthfeel and silky purple and black fruits are perfect.
| GJ3 0044 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $231 | SOLD |
| GJ3 0045 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $231 | SOLD |
| LIN 0062 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $175 | SOLD |
LOST TO FAME - Too sexy for Milan, New York & Japan - Dont need ratings
LOST TO FAME - Too sexy for my car - too sexy by far - Dont need ratings
| LIN 0063 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 | SOLD |
LOST TO FAME - Too sexy for Milan, New York & Japan - Dont need ratings
| LIN 0064 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | SOLD |
RICH - JH94 - The style is familiar – rich, plum-driven fruit, a toasty element, a creaminess to the texture – but there's a sinewy element to this release, aided and abetted by herb, twig and earth characters. This gives the wine a cooler dynamic, a less-is-more feel. In keeping with that, its best drinking days are likely to be in the medium rather than short or long term.
SCORES COMING - Maybe NOT?
| MJB 0206 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 | SOLD |
| MJB 0207 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 | |
| MJB 0208 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 | SOLD |
| LIN 0066 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $128 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| 303 0228 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $69 | SOLD |
| 303 0229 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $63 | |
| 303 0230 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $63 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| BRU 0162 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0163 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0165 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| BRU 0166 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0167 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0168 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0169 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $70 | |
| BRU 0170 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $70 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| BRU 0171 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0172 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0173 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| BRU 0174 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0175 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0176 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| BRU 0177 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $92 | SOLD |
| BRU 0178 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $92 | SOLD |
| BRU 0179 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 |
CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Year long GRACE
| MJB 0209 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MJB 0210 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MJB 0211 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MJB 0212 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MJB 0213 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MJB 0214 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
SECRET BAROSSA BUSINESS
| JMO 0074 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $198 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0404 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $380 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0547 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $208 | |
| NIK 0549 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $240 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0403 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $360 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0400 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $264 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0544 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| NIK 0545 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
ADORED - JH98 - Fraser McKinley's epic Dallwitz Syrah is again in stellar form with the 2022 release. Like everything Fraser does, the attention to detail is amazing, from vineyard to packaging. It hails from the Hoffmann vineyard in Ebenezer. A cask selection from DW-OLD (planted between 1888–1912), ER-27 (planted 1927) and DW-95VSP (planted 1995) with a 76 week elevage in Burgundian pièces. Perfectly ripened macerated satsuma plum, black cherry and cassis with blueberry lift; layered with exotic spice, graphite, allspice, pan juices, panforte, dark chocolate, plum conserve, violets, fennel and rich earth. Heady concentration and perfectly poised, with powdery tannins sporting a real sense of compression and singing clearly of their northern Barossa roots. It's a stunning wine. Much adored and sought after, and it sure is easy to see why.
| JIM 0078 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $149 | |
| JIM 0079 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $150 |
BEFORE ST PETER'S -JH96 - Old vines and 18 months in new French oak produce a wondrously complex array of dark berry, plum, leather, licorice and chocolate aromas and flavours, the concentration of the fruit offset by savoury tannins.
| JMO 0361 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $29 | |
| JMO 0362 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $29 |
WILDLY -JH96 - It's hard to imagine that Seppelt was making sparkling shiraz at its famous cellar near the town of Great Western, in the Grampians region, as far back as the 1890s, but indeed it was. Heritage doesn't come much richer, deeper, or more individual. This release is wildly complex, rich in its base fruit, satisfying and intriguing. It tastes of licorice and leather, game and citrus, sweet raspberry/plum and earth. It's bold, savoury and mellow at once; it's melancholy and joy in one.
| TUR 0938 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | |
| TUR 0939 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
GLORIOUS - JH95 - The glorious bright crimson hue is a come-on with a question that I will speedily answer: it is ripe, and it has excellent tannins that provide support for the red and sour cherry fruit.
| SRO 0705 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $28 | |
| SRO 0706 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $24 | |
| SRO 0707 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $28 | SOLD |
ENDLESS FOLDS - JH96 - You may break a wrist picking the dreadnought bottle up, but it's worth the task. This surely is as powerful and focused as it was when first bottled, its future as far away as that of Pluto, starting to reveal its secrets in 9? years from now, but with more to come thereafter. Despite all this, the wine is calm, and you don't feel its alcohol in the endless folds of black fruits, graphite, licorice and clove flavours.
| WAY 0198 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $141 | |
| WAY 0197 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $141 | |
| WAY 0196 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $141 | |
| WAY 0195 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $141 | |
| WAY 0194 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $141 |
BIG FAN - JH96 - Grenache sourced from gnarled old vines over on the western range. Despite the fact that I had a close call with a fired-up brown snake in this vineyard, I'm a big fan of this wine. It's got a cruisey, loose-knit and expressive savoury vibe: all detailed raspberry, mulberry and red plum shades and a gorgeous array of gingery spice, red licorice, star anise, sarsparilla, cola, Chinese barbecue shop and earth. This openness of expression is juxtaposed by a cascade of chalky tannin and a mineral-rich focus with an exotically spiced plume of red fruits on the exit.
| ACC 17207 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17208 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| ACC 17209 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 |
INCREASED - RP99 - I feel like the consistency and quality of Torbreck's flagship wine has only increased over time. The 2012 RunRig is gorgeously floral and vibrant, with concentrated red berries, characteristic weight and intensity on the palate and supple, silky tannins. It's delicious now, but it should age gracefully through at least 2035.
| TUR 0675 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 | |
| TUR 0676 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 |
VERY IMPRESSIVE - RP98+ - Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2013 RunRig has a tantalizingly exotic nose of cloves, fenugreek, star anise and cassia with a core of mulberries, baked blackberries and blueberry preserves plus hints of potpourri and dusty earth. The full-bodied palate is multilayered with tons of spices and berry preserves notes, supported by firm yet velvety tannins and finishing with incredible length and depth. This is a very impressive RunRig.
| TUR 0677 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
OH SO SATSIFYING - RP97+ - Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Run Rig opens with a bang, delivering intense fruits of the forest and blackberry preserve notes with hints of sandalwood, cardamom, dried Provence herbs, Indian spices and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and oh, so satisfying, the beauty ticks all the great Barossa Shiraz boxes and then some. It is still relatively primary, so I’d recommend giving it another 2-3 years at least in bottle and drink it over the next 20+.
| ACC 17221 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $349 | |
| ACC 17222 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $349 | |
| ACC 17223 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $349 |
TOUR DE FORCE - RP98 - Who would've thought that in the context of Barossa Shiraz, the 2015 RunRig would seem like a relative bargain? It's certainly much less expensive than Grange or Hill of Grace will be when they're released. It's also more approachable in its youth, with enormously appealing aromas of grilled fruit, savory complexities and rich, velvety tannins. Of course, it's full-bodied and concentrated, with the stuffing to age for up to a couple of decades, and it has a long, licorice-tinged finish. Winemaker Ian Hongell, who joined Torbreck from Peter Lehmann, may not have made this wine, but he deserves a lot of credit for the blending and finishing of this tour de force.
| ACC 17213 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $339 | |
| ACC 17214 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $339 | |
| ACC 17215 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $339 | |
| ACC 17216 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $339 |
MASTERPIECE - RP100 - A blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier made just prior to bottling, the 2016 RunRig is a complete masterpiece. It kicks off with elegant notes of pencil shavings accenting blueberries and blackberries on the nose, then shows incredible, palate-staining intensity of fruit in the mouth. It's full-bodied, plush and velvety without being unstructured and manages to be fruit-forward yet savory on the long-lasting finish, where it picks up hints of mocha and black olives. This should be drinkable with pleasure throughout its entire two-decade life (it may live longer from cold cellars or in larger formats), but if I were lucky enough to have a bottle or two, I'd try the first one about 10 years out. Scheduled for June 2019 release.
TREMENDOUS - RP98 - As usual, the 2017 RunRig is approximately 2% Viognier. It spent almost 30 months in oak, 40% of which was new. Hints of peach or apricot appear on the nose, alongside notes of hickory smoke, cherries and baking spices. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and silky enough to seem lighter in the mouth, showing tremendous length and elegance on the finish, where it adds nuances of cinnamon and cocoa.
| ACC 17217 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $299 | |
| ACC 17219 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $299 | |
| ACC 17220 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $299 |
DAMN ENJOYABLE - RP99 - Torbreck's 2018 RunRig needs a bit of air right now, as the nose and palate truly open up and expand after a while in the glass. Unlike some vintages, it's rather tight and cedary upon first pour, then relaxes to reveal hints of stone fruit, blueberries, cherries, pastry crust and baking spices. In the mouth, it's full-bodied and concentrated, richly textured and marked by ripe tannins, which leave behind a velvety, mouth-coating finish tinged with licorice and dark berries. While approachable now—and even damn enjoyable—it deserves another several years in the cellar. Drink the 2018 Descendant while waiting.
| ACC 17228 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $279 | |
| ACC 17229 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $279 |
KALEIDOSCOPIC VORTEX - RP98 - The... how to describe this... it's like a kaleidoscopic vortex of midnight flavor (dark, dense, brooding and spicy), swirling tannins and endlessly plush length. The Viognier in this 2019 RunRig has been absorbed somehow, compressed by the warm, low-yielding vintage that birthed it. It has been pushed down into the reaches of the Shiraz, which is a very good thing, as its propensity for slinky-like bounce and spiral needs some limiting. This is insanely complex yet also balanced. Charry oak frames the wines from all sides, but like the gravity pull on the earth from the sun, the oak is drawn inexorably inward. Pretty impressive, but this wine always is. A beast unto itself, wines like this have few peers.
| JIR 0017 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $380 | |
| WAY 0176 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $197 | |
| WAY 0177 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $197 |
SUPER SENSATIONAL - RP98+ - This is the wine that people seem to lose their minds over, and just between you and me, I do understand that. It's one of a handful of super sensational Shiraz Viognier from this great country, and the ability of this cuvée to speak so eloquently of both the Barossa and its harmonious varietals is impressive to say the least. So is, while we're discussing it, the density and volume of the wine. On the nose, the 2021 RunRig is savory and meaty, with charry oak at the fore, backed by black cherry, graphite, dried rose petals, red and purple fruit, flowers and black tea. There is both detail and density. On the palate, the wine is both silky and huge. It's momentous, long and complex. It's like the volume has been turned up in every possible way, and what I know of sound mixing is on show here; it's a loud mix, but all the elements are perfectly in balance. And ultimately, that's what's up. Like Nick Cave, it's got it all, and it does it with conviction and intellect. It's a great wine, from a great season. Bigger than perhaps ever before. 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
DEEP - JH97 - Deep and densely coloured; full-bodied and rich in Torbreck style. On the first assessment the wine is indeed impressive, then impact ex tannins and alcohol hit, then a mouthful of soda water recalibrates all the black cherry, blackberry, licorice and charcuterie flavours come striding through on the mid-palate and on to the finish.
| TUR 0914 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
POWER WITH GRACE - JH96 - 100% shiraz sourced from the parishes of Gomersal, Krondorf, Marananga and Ebenezer, aged for 12 months in French oak. Glossy red purple in the glass with characters of ripe satsuma plum and macerated summer berry fruits, Asian five-pice, cedar, licorice and Old Jamaica chocolate. Fruit weight, purity and intensity perfectly on point here, tannins too, fine and long. There just seems to be so much packed into the wine yet everything is in proportion and true. Power with grace.
| ACC 17476 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17477 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17478 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17479 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17480 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 |
CHAMPION - JH96 - Shiraz from the parishes of Gomersal, Krondorf, Marananga and Ebenezer matured in French oak (40% new) for 24 months. This year's Factor sports an inky, graphite-led intensity of fruit and a sense of purity. Compression, too, with deep satsuma plum, blackberry and black cherry fruits initially feeling compact and tight before exploding onto the palate with substantial tannin heft and layers of dark spice, cedar, licorice and dark chocolate. While you could happily tuck into this tonight, it will cellar like a champion
| ACC 17194 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $114 | |
| ACC 17195 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $114 |
IMMACULATELY MADE - JH97 - From the Eden Valley. An immaculately made shiraz with a disciplined and light touch, making the alcohol irrelevant; it sinuously weaves its way through the black fruits of the medium to full-bodied palate, which make more impact than tannins or oak (or alcohol). Perfect length, line and balance will give the wine a very long future, guaranteed by the screwcap.
| WAY 0511 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $42 |
MAGNIFICIENT - JH97 - Prior to the arrival of The Laird, RunRig was Torbreck's top wine at $235 a bottle. Why the huge price gap? It is in limited production (646 dozen), but so is RunRig. It comes from a remarkable single vineyard that David Powell had coveted for 15 years. Apart from a high level of vigilance, normal open fermentation and basket pressing; following Guigal's 'La La's', it spent three years in new and hideously expensive Tardieu Laurent French barriques with staves 45 mm thick (normally 22 to 27 mm). Over the three years the oak becomes embedded in the fruit, supporting not overwhelming it, layer upon layer of gloriously complex flavours, the tannins superbly weighted. A magnificent wine from a great vintage.
| WAY 0169 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $432 | |
| WAY 0170 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $432 |
STUNNING - RP100 - Deep garnet colored with a touch of remaining purple at the rim, the 2012 The Laird is one of those wines you could just go on smelling all day. It opens with a complex perfume of kirsch, dried mulberries, blackberry tart and spice cake over cloves, mocha, dusty earth, incense, star anise, yeast extract and aged beef. The full-bodied palate is drop-dead seductive, unfurling in the mouth to reveal exotic spice, meat, earth and berry preserves layers, supported by firm, velvety tannins and seamless acid. The finish seems to go on forever—and this is exactly what you want it to do. Stunning.
| TUR 0917 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $460 |
EXPLOSIVE - RP97 - Torbreck's 2015 The Laird boasts explosive aromas of Christmas spices, ripe plums, vanilla, hickory smoke and maple syrup. It's a big wine, loaded with fruit and oak, full-bodied, rich and velvety, adding hints of toasted coconut and cinnamon streusel on the long, almost dessert-like finish. For a more savory experience, age it a decade or so before pulling a cork
| WAY 0160 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $392 | |
| WAY 0162 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $392 | |
| WAY 0161 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $392 |
ANOTHER FEW YEARS - RP98 - Torbreck's 2016 The Laird is just being released after its extended time in barrel. I'm still unconvinced by the élevage, as the wood seems to have the upper hand, marking the nose with scents of smoke, cedar, menthol and baking spices. Yes, there's ample underlying fruit—mulberries and Italian plums—but it all takes on a slightly dessert-like cast that's only partially balanced by lingering hints of black olives, licorice and caramelized meat on the extended finish. Give this another few years in bottle so the oak-imparted notes further meld with the fruit and form a more complete, harmonious whole.
| WAY 0157 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $432 |
MASTERPIECE - JH95 - Made from 1847 estate plantings, and must surely contend for historical pride of place, notwithstanding the claims of others. Smooth, plum and black cherry fruit on the bouquet, then a supple, smooth palate with black fruits, spice, cedar and vanilla. A masterpiece of understatement.
| JMO 0045 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 | |
| JMO 0044 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 | |
| JMO 0043 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 | |
| JMO 0042 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $40 |
COMPLEX - JH95 - As complex and elegant as ever, notwithstanding higher than usual alcohol; gently spicy blackberry and blood plum fruit; fine tannins, fine French oak.
CLASSIC - JH95 - Bright purple-red; replete with dark fruits ranging through blackberry, plum, prune and a dash of licorice; very focused and controlled; no artifice or exaggeration, simply classic restraint.
| JMO 0307 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $44 |
ICONIC - JH97 - At 6 years of age, the wine is beginning to bloom, displaying attractive ripe lemon, citrus curd and honeysuckle aromas. These characters are in the riper spectrum for this wine. The palate is on the generous side, but it still has the clarity and style one expects from Vat 1. There is no hiding the fact that '18 was a hot year. Consequently, this will be an earlier-drinking Vat 1, but no less enjoyable. That is the thing about iconic wines; the season may change, but their inherent qualities remain constant. Ready to drink on release.
JH95 - Medium to full-bodied; very good balance and structure; a complex array of black and red fruits; positive oak and ripe tannins - MAGNUM
| JMO 0056 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $166 |
JH94 - Dark, deep purple-red; a concentrated, dense and powerful bouquet with brooding, dark fruits leads to a massively concentrated palate with a complex array of fruit flavours in the mint/blackberry/briar spectrum, finishing with persistent tannins. Notwithstanding all the power and concentration, is immaculately balanced.
| JMO 0127 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | SOLD |
| JMO 0126 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | SOLD |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores - notes
| JMO 0227 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $84 | |
| JMO 0228 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $84 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores - notes
| JMO 0181 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 | |
| JMO 0182 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 | SOLD |
JH95 - Deepest colour of the three Wendourees, with cassis and blackcurrant aromas bursting out of the glass; has the greatest depth, richness and dimension to the blackcurrant and anise fruit, the tannins and oak also having their say.
| JMO 0225 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $110 | SOLD |
JH97 - An 80/20% blend, the colour impeccable; I have always enjoyed this wine, the two varieties providing an exercise in the synergy that blends can bring to the table. Without diminishing the structure or power of the wine, it has a juicy mouthfeel, not to mention a mouthful, of cassis and plum fruit, the tannins quite fine, drawing out the finish
| JMO 0164 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $84 | |
| JMO 0163 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $84 |
WONDERFUL - JH98 - Deep, healthy crimson-purple; the Wendouree blends bring wonderful complexity to the table, but this wine in particular brings purity, its flood of cassis fruit on the bouquet and palate awesomely mouthwatering and drawn out, not trimmed back by the brambly, savoury tannins. If there is better tannin structure in an Australian cabernet, I am yet to see it.
| JMO 0113 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 | |
| JMO 0112 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $93 |
EPITOME - JH97 - Full purple-crimson hue. An elegant Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon, only 2yo? Oxymoron? Believe me, this is the epitome of elegance in cabernet terms, with a fluid line and mouthfeel, cassis and a hint of mint to the fore, fine-grained tannins as much on the aftertaste as the finish. A wine that progressively reveals its latent power as it is re-tasted again and again.
| JMO 0139 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $106 | |
| JMO 0138 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $106 |
LOVE - JH97 - 100% cabernet sauvignon from the 1920 and '75 plantings on the Eastern and Central Vineyards. The moment the wine is poured into the glass, the bright, deep colour tells you this wine will assert its authority in no uncertain fashion. Yet it does so by stealth, first revealing the cassis fruit and (in the best sense) mint. There is no bombardment by often autocratic cabernet tannins; just as was the case with the '13 vintage, it is elegant, dispensing tannins slyly. Three very different wines, and I love them all, so the points are the same.
| JMO 0158 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $93 | |
| JMO 0157 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $93 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores / notes to be found
| JMO 0208 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $70 | |
| JMO 0209 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $70 |
JH93 - Opaque purple-crimson, very slightly hazy; strong plum jam varietal expression on the bouquet; an unexpectedly fresh medium-bodied palate; very fine tannins. Stained corks in both 2006 Wendouree wines a worry.
| JMO 0148 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 | |
| JMO 0147 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0275 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $97 | |
| JMO 0276 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $97 |
LASSETER'S REEF - Gold in them hills! - A Mag of 1990 Wendouree Shiraz - Perfectly cellared sincle release - Icon wine form a landmark vintage - RARE opportunity
| JMO 0063 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $693 | SOLD |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0150 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | |
| JMO 0149 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 |
FAINTLY - JH96 - Medium to full purple-red; the bouquet is similar to that of the Shiraz, but with slightly softer dark berry fruit blending into that faintly jammy character of Malbec. On the palate the rich, juicy Malbec contribution is quite evident, yet the predominant structure is provided by the Shiraz.
| JMO 0242 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| JMO 0243 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0189 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $83 | SOLD |
| JMO 0190 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $66 |
GREAT - JH96 - More purple than the Shiraz Mataro; consistently with the colour, has more drive and focus; the mouthfeel and length of the medium- to full-bodied palate are excellent, with almost juicy fruit sparking off the fine-grained tannins. Great now, great in another 15 years.
FRAGRANT - JH97 - A 60/40% blend, the bouquet is very fragrant, with the plum-accented malbec contribution obvious (as it should be); the palate has multiple layers of flavour, with blackberry and black cherry ex the shiraz leading the way, complexed by notes of plum from the malbec, half-suggesting some fruitcake flavours.
| JMO 0175 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 | |
| JMO 0174 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 |
JH93 - Medium to full purple-red; the bouquet is stylish, with berry, earthy, mint and leaf aromas, the palate again showing some minty notes and an exceptionally long finish - supported, needless to say, by abundant tannins.
| JMO 0248 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0251 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $90 |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0252 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | |
| JMO 0253 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
JH94 - Slightly lighter colour than the Shiraz, but similar brilliant hue; the mataro/mourvedre tannins are evident, but not trenchantly so; nonetheless, needs 5-10 years to fully unfurl its sails.
| JMO 0120 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 | |
| JMO 0119 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $79 |
MAGNIFICANT STUFF -JH94 - A blend of '16, '17 and '18 wines. A gentle fortification is applied to the wine. The fruit comes from the '40-planted Eastern vineyard. The fortification elevates the wine and adds depth; underlying is a vivid, sweet wine showing off classic crème brûlée characters with faint, sweet sherry notes with distinct preserved lemon, lemon butter, candied ginger, cumquat and lime jelly elements in tow. There's a suppleness to texture married to an inherent stickiness and gummy chew. It's a superb expression of dessert-ish wine, lively, intriguing and downright gulpable. That it is complex, nuanced and original helps things too. Magnificent stuff.
| JMO 0066 | 1 HALF BOTTLE | Current Bid: $28 | SOLD |
| JMO 0065 | 1 HALF BOTTLE | Current Bid: $28 | SOLD |
WUTHERING WEDOUREE - no scores/notes to be found
| JMO 0199 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| JMO 0200 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
GRACE IN THE CELLAR - JH96 - As with all Woodlands cabernets, once you get past the oak, the fruit is of the highest pedigree; rippling with layers of complexity and nuance. Their potential for grace in the cellar is proven. Raspberry, pomegranate, bitter cocoa, aniseed, salted tomato, Dutch licorice, sage and exotic spice hide within the savoury folds of flavour that forms the backbone of this wine. The oak envelopes it all now, but will emboss into the fruit over time.
| ACC 16616 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $124 | |
| ACC 16617 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $124 |
GUARANTEED - JH98 - This is a top-notch Riddoch cabernet. The colour is a given, as are the depth and purity of the varietal expression, but despite its moderate alcohol, it is full-bodied, and really should be left for 10 years, then enjoyed over the next 20-30 years, its future guaranteed by its screwcap.
| TUR 0935 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 |
FUTURE - JH96 - Not just vineyard specific, this is site-specific as the fruit comes off block 3 (a 0.6ha parcel), this vintage with 14% malbec. They are handsome companions, a bit like winemakers Glenn Goodall and Brendan Carr. Though the latter has moved on after 11 years at Xanadu, he did help make this wine. The inkiness of malbec and its dark cherry accents such a lovely foil to cabernet’s distinct flavour. This is enticing, partly because of its heady aromatics and varietal flavours à la Margaret River, but especially the tannins. They are fine, shapely and defined. The finish is long and the wine has a bright, long future.
| SRO 0683 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 | |
| SRO 0685 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 | |
| SRO 0686 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 | |
| SRO 0687 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 | |
| SRO 0688 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $60 |
BENCHMARK - JH98 - The Caley has quickly established itself as a benchmark for the classic cabernet/shiraz blend. In 2018, it's 80/20% Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon/ Barossa shiraz matured for 20 months in French barriques (38% new). The melding of both variety and region is compelling and captivating. Beautifully poised blackberry and blackcurrant lie sympatico with plum and dark cherry. Notes of cedar and tobacco with fine spices, gentle herbal tones, dried citrus blossom, pencil case and cinnamon. Picture-perfect fruit depth, powdery mineral framework and harmony in all aspects of its composition, leaving the impression of a wine at the top of its game and one destined for a long life in the cellar.
BENCHMARK - JH98 - The Caley from Yalumba has quickly established itself as one of the benchmark wines in the 'Great Australian Blend' category. An elegant representation of how well Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon and Barossa shiraz (at 77/23% split) can work together in the right hands. There is a black-fruited intensity to its form, fine spice and cedar tones suffusing slowly through the wine with tobacco, dried herbs, pressed flowers, pencil shavings, cinnamon and roast beef. Texturally, it's a stunning wine: super pure black fruits, a silken flow, fine, powdery tannin, lacy acidity and a graceful, extended retreat from the mouth with lingering black fruit flavours, cedar and spice.
| XSA 2170 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $321 | |
| XSA 2169 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $321 |
THRILLING - JH97 - For long an Australian icon, this has really lightened up its act. For the better. The sort of exotic perfume-lifted lilac floral-seldom seen across shiraz from such a warm zone. Pulpy and juicy in the mouth, rather than over-extracted and desiccated. A beautiful sash of oak, directing a cavalcade of clove, five spice and ample blue to dark fruit references along a skein of peppery acidity. Riveting complexity and the feeling of something far lighter than the ABV suggests. This is a thrilling wine. There are no two ways about it.
| ACC 16765 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $124 | |
| ACC 16766 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $124 |
LOVELY - JH96 - Since its first release in 1962, The Signature has been Yalumba's deep dive into the classic Australian blend from the Barossa and one that honors the people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba. There is a resonance and depth to this release that I really like. Wonderfully pure and concentrated blackberry and plum fruits, layered with spice, dark chocolate, earth, cedar and oak nuance. Succulent and sinewy in the mouth, it flexes considerable muscle, yet remains purely fruited and approachable even at this stage of its evolution. Rich and balanced with fine, ripe tannin and plenty of energy for such depth of fruit. Lovely.
| ACC 17185 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $99 | |
| ACC 17186 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $99 |
CONFLUENCE - JH96 - Since its first release in 1962, the Yalumba Signature cabernet/shiraz blend has shown a fine pedigree of cellar-worthy wines, and it looks like that bloodline will continue with the 2019 release. Deep, bright crimson in the glass and densely packed with ripe blackberry, black cherry, plum and cassis fruit notes on a bed of fine spice, licorice, cedar, dark chocolate, vanillin oak and light almond blossom tones. There's a wonderful tannin structure here, fine, compact and sandy, lending perfect structure to the pure black fruits. Nothing heavy or overblown, everything in its place, the confluence of fruit/tannin/acidity on song. Pop some in your glass or the cellar. You choose.
| ACC 17432 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $124 | |
| ACC 17433 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $124 |
BEST - JH97 - This wine could easily be in the running for one of the best 2021 wines from the region. Deep in colour with stunning purity across the spectrum of blackberry, black cherry and dark plum fruits. Fragrant with citrus and almond blossom notes, aniseed, cedar, new leather, tobacco, panforte, bay leaf, wood spice and Christmas cake. Sporting a stunning fruit density and tension, it glides, thick with fine, billowing tannin, with a pitch-perfect cadence across the palate, lacy acidity playing its part in focusing the wine's intrinsic elements with aplomb. Pure, vital and beautifully composed. It's sure to be a classic.
| ACC 16914 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $54 | |
| ACC 17090 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $54 |
A CRIME TO SPIT - RP98 - The fruit for this 2019 High Sands Grenache is sourced from the highest plot on the estate, from old bush vines planted in 1946. This an incredibly complex wine that undulates and ripples across the tongue; it brings blood and ferrous, crushed quartz and pink peppercorns, poise and succulence, but never, ever heaviness. Weight: no. This has silken sway and lithe flow, but no heaviness. What an amazing wine that lingers and echoes through the finish. An emphatic, resounding, YES. In fact, I was almost done with this tasting note, and it occurred to me that there is also framboise, licorice, a hint of anise, salami and graphite through the finish. It's a crime to spit this out—so I won't.
| ACC 14748 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $149 |
WOW - JH97 - Wild fermented. Open tops. Extracted dutifully across a 21 day window. Foudre and eggs for 11 months thereafter. This is a wine of power reigned in by sumptuous tannins, like matrix dots doused with spice and teeming across the mind's eye. More southern Rhone than Gredos, often the inspiration in these parts. Moroccan souk. Goa trail blazing. Darker, danker fruits, clove and assertive tannins ... those gorgeous tannins, trailing the wine to prodigious length. Wow!
| XBW 3129 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $204 | |
| XBW 3114 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $204 | |
| XBW 3112 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $204 |
GREAT WINE - JH98 - High Sands is always a landmark wine, a site-reflective icon of peerless husbandry and elaboration, but it can be imposing, needing time and reflection. This is different, though, finely tuned, lucid, silky and sophisticated, and feeling even more expressive of place. A great, cool vintage, yes, with both depth and levity, but Pete Fraser’s quarter turns of the screw are also palpable. Fruits are red and black, ripe but with some tart wild tension, dusted in heady baharat spicing, the heartbeat of old-vine power pulsing insistently within. Flavour descriptors feel ineffectual, though. It’s the sheer graceful power of the thing that’s so beguiling, as it noiselessly swoops in, catching you in the updraft of its immense wingspan. By any measure, this is a great wine
| XBW 3392 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $239 | |
| XBW 3393 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $239 | |
| XBW 3394 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $239 |
A WINE OF DISTINCTION - JH98 - From the small block of shiraz planted in 1969 comes a wine of distinction, thanks to the constant fine tuning orchestrated by winemaker Sarah Crowe. Wafts of pepper, woodsy spices, iodine and florals end up mingling with the pure fruit flavours within. Ribbons of fine tannin grace the palate, as does gossamer-like acidity, holding everything perfectly in place and just allowing the finish to linger and impress even more.
| ACC 16032 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $179 | |
| ACC 16033 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $179 |
BRAVO - JH95 - Just 2 barrels. A labour of love. It is not easy to maintain varietal purity for viognier without it turning broad and oily. None of that here. It's almost delicate, with just a smidge of apricot and kernels. Infused with lemon, orange and woodsy spices, it's textural, but light as a feather across the palate. Bravo.
| ACC 16538 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $114 | |
| ACC 16539 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $114 |
PROFOUNDLY - JH97 - 66% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 15% malbec, 3% petit verdot, hand-picked and berry-sorted, the cabernet crushed, the other varieties whole-berry fermented in half-tonne open fermenters, hand-plunged twice-daily, some of the cabernet with extended post-ferment maceration, matured separately in French oak (40% new) for 15 months. Profoundly juicy and rich, yet kept under tight control by the web of ripe tannins, oak part of the structure and texture but not flavour per se. It is a wine that you can sit with for a prolonged examination and discussion, and still not cover all its characteristics or ask all the questions.
| TUR 0927 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
YEARNING & YERING - JH97 - Co-fermented with 3% viognier, aged in French barriques (35% new) for 18 months. Deep, full crimson-purple; as any winemaker co-fermenting shiraz and viognier will tell you, increments of 1% or 2% can make an immense difference - the trick is to support the shiraz, not compete with it. Thus here the powerful, resplendent black cherry and plum fruits have touches of pepper and spice as well as that of the near-unseen viognier. French oak and tannins are in their due place.
| ACC 13962 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| ACC 13963 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| ACC 13964 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 |
YEARNING & YERING - JH96 - There is slightly less than 2% co-fermented viognier, but it plays an important role in creating the highly fragrant and expressive bouquet. Yes, it's vintage-driven with a riot of red and purple fruits, but the perfect structure and balance goes way beyond normal wines.
| ACC 13965 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 | |
| ACC 13967 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $74 |
KALEIDOSOPEIC - RP97+ - The 2021 Le Sol is spicy and detailed. Where the 2020 is open-weave and attractive, the 2021 is tighter, more focused and less "available" for obsessive unpicking (as I am wont to do for you, here). There's raw cocoa, blueberry, finely ground black pepper, orange peel, musk stick, layers of blackberry, mulberry, blood, ferrous notes and a hint of pencil shaving. This is a tightly coiled wine, one that has much unfurling to do, both in the cellar over time and in the glass today. Kaleidoscopic, savory and complex, this is another exciting wine from Craggy Range across the superstar 2020 and 2021 vintages. The exciting thing about the Le Sol is that there is SO MUCH flavor, without weight or density. It is pure concentration, but it leaves an impression of levity and litheness. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
| ACC 17492 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $119 | |
| ACC 17648 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17649 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 | |
| ACC 17650 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $109 |
LOVELY - RP94+ - The 2022 Calvert Pinot Noir is currently closed and firm on the nose (although a point to note, the Calvert and Block 5 were bottled in September, and it is now late November. The other Pinots from this vintage went to bottle in May). In the mouth, however, this wine hits a massive stride. Forthright tannins accompany powerful fruit and fine acidity to make an impact. There’s pomegranate and cherry, violets, rosehips and capers, with green olive tapenade and even a hint of bone broth. Once again, the acidity in conjunction with the tannins combine to bring on a cool finish... lovely. I do love the strawberry through the finish. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
| ACC 16471 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $90 | SOLD |
| ACC 16472 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $90 | SOLD |
LOVELY - RP95 - The 2023 Calvert Pinot Noir is abundantly berry driven on the nose, with ripe summer cherries, mulberry, forest floor, pomegranate molasses and peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine leads with firm tannins, which are laced with Szechuan peppercorns and sandalwood spice and brought into focus by acidity that skirts the edges of brisk but lands gently on juicy. This is a lovely wine, further compounding my affection for the wines of the 2023 vintage on the South Island. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
| ACC 17540 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $85 | |
| ACC 17541 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $85 | |
| ACC 17542 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $85 |
BLACK HEART - RP97+ - The 2019 Coleraine was the first year in a string of great vintages, a trio, or a hat trick, if you will. The wine is brooding and textured, with a black heart of berry fruit wrapped by savory spice. It pulses with blackberry, mulberry, black cherry, cassis, brunette tobacco, coal dust, graphite, licorice, star anise and cracked fennel. It's sensational. I love the personality of this vintage. It's black, almost midnight, and extraterrestrial in its expanse, but the thing is, it just tastes so much like Hawke's Bay. It is capacious and spooling and unfurling too, long, excellent and totally on form. It's tempting to drink these in youth, but given how gracefully they unfold over time, I can confirm that your patience (if you have any) will be rewarded. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under cork.
| TUR 0904 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 | |
| TUR 0903 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $96 |
OUTRAGEOUS - RP97+ - The 2022 Coleraine is laden at this stage with the outrageous attractiveness of youth. I mean, it's irresistible. There's raspberry, nori, rose petals, coffee grounds, star anise, salted licorice, sun-dried kelp/nori, warm pine (I know this smell because I was hiking around the Te Mata peak yesterday, and there was a fallen pine tree lying in the sun, and it smelled great) and layers of peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine is so fresh, so alive, with so much energy, but it already is showing the svelte line of this house, this place. With a hint of raw cocoa laced through the finish, I'm sad to push this glass away. It will be the last time that I taste it for a while. A ripper. Excellent. This is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
PERFECT SPECIMEN - Museum Release - Never Retailed - Lux Storage - Classic Old School Barolo - Recorked and New label when exported - 1980's? cant find records - Rare & Special
| CAT 0013 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $560 |
PERFECT SPECIMEN - Museum Release - Never Retailed - Lux Storage - Classic Old School Barolo - Recorked and New label when exported - 1980's? cant find records - Rare & Special
| CAT 0015 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
ENORMITY - RP96 - Production was skipped over in 2007 due to extreme hail damage. The fruit that would normally be destined to Amarone went to the lower tier Valpolicella Superiore instead. The 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta marks a return to a slightly cooler vintage with a longer growing season slowed down during the summer's moderate temperatures. Indeed, harvest was wrapped up during the first days of November. The blend is mostly Corvina, at about 60%, with smaller parts Corvinone, Rondinella, Croatina and Oseleta. The new Dal Forno winery was finished in 2008, complete with the unique vacuum-sealed fermentation tasks that help to avoid any intrusive oxygen during winemaking. Indeed, this wine is balanced and elegant with fruit that is still crunchy and very much alive. The tannins are firm and nicely integrated into the wine's thick, fleshy consistency. This vintage is characterized by a very elegant and graceful approach, which must be taken into context given the enormity of a wine of this caliber. Happily, there is no doubt that this vintage should still evolve steadily over time.
| TUR 0850 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $720 |
SHY - RP95 - This was an excellent vintage in much of Italy, but unfortunately the weather was not as pleasant in this specific area of the Valpolicella. The season saw a lot of rain, and a good amount of fruit was cut and left on the ground because it could not be used. Considering these difficulties, Michele Dal Forno tells me he is "more than happy with the results." I tasted the 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta next to the 2009 vintage, and having these two wines side by side reinforces just how different they are. The 2010 vintages is sharper, more pointed and direct in comparison, and there is a tiny point of sourness on the close. This wine does not reach the same threshold for fullness, density or richness. It does come close. The wine's residual sugar measures between 5 and 6 grams per liter, which is normal for this wine, and the bouquet is redolent of familiar black fruit, raisin and spice. However, the wine feels a bit stuck in its tracks at the moment and is evidently experiencing a shy phase in its evolution. It has retreated.
| TUR 0851 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION - RP96 - A pure expression of Sangiovese, the 2018 Cepparello is a beautiful expression that speaks to the classic and most exemplary side of this versatile and deeply expressive grape. This vintage is especially bright and ethereal with a true sense of luminosity and clarity that radiates from both the wine's appearance and its fragrant bouquet. Tart cherry and cassis segue to balsam herb and wild violets. To the palate, the wine shows muscle and determination with sweet tannins and impressive depth of favor. Cepparello remains true to its unique identity in this vintage. Production is 42,000 bottles.
| ACC 17757 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $149 |
SUPPLE & SMOOTH - RP96 - Supple and smooth, the 2020 Cepparello brings Sangiovese to soaring heights in a manner only Paolo De Marchi can manage. This is his second to last vintage before he would retire and sell this historic estate. The wine opens to medium to full-bodied concentration with dark plum and redcurrant. Those cede to sweet spice, earth, crushed stone, rusty nail and candied orange peel. Give the wine more time to flesh out with cellar age. It registers a powerful 15% alcohol content.
BEAUTIFUL - RP97 - This is a beautiful wine that is only made in the best vintages. In fact, I have only ever tasted 2006 (a late release), 2010 and 2013 before this bottle. The Isole e Olena 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is 90% Sangiovese enhanced with tiny percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Production is limited to a mere 3,000 bottles that will not be released commercially until spring 2022. The wine is enormously bright and buoyant in this classic vintage with lingering fruit and cherry that remains intact and fresh even when tasted now some five years after the harvest. Hints of leather, tar and potting soil softly fill in the rear. This wine promises a long and healthy aging future ahead.
EXUBERANT RICHNESS - RP96 - Inky dark in appearance, the 2020 Solaia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller percentages of Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. This vintage unfolds to exuberant richness and thick layers of blackberry and plum. The tannins are sweet and expertly crafted, adding both depth and fruit weight. The 2020 vintage is quite bold, and it plays its best cards in terms of texture and mouthfeel. It’s a bigger, more accessible wine compared to the last two vintages on the market. Spice, toasted coffee bean and more dark fruit color this full-bodied Tuscan red
THE BIG TIG - Tignanello is too hot to handle - Thank Boris Johnson
| 303 0163 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $261 | SOLD |
| 303 0164 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $209 | |
| 303 0165 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 | |
| 303 0166 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $280 |
ETHEREAL - RP98 - The latest release from Tenuta San Guido is the 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia. The bouquet is up front and very expressive from the get-go. It offers a generous display of crunchy, dark cherry that hints at the extra concentration and fruit weight obtained in the 2019 growing season. This vintage will be remembered for the crisp richness of the fruit and its important textural imprint. It also shows fine elegance, bordering on the ethereal, with berry aromas, tarry earth and brushes of balsam herb or grilled rosemary. Sassicaia always shows an almost-glossy finely knit quality to the polished mouthfeel, and I find it again here next to fresh acidity and firm tannins. Mouthfeel in 2019 is the wine's strongest suit. The 2019 is one of the prettiest and most balanced editions of Sassicaia we've seen this past decade, along with the back-to-back duo of 2016 and 2015. The 2019 marries the precision of the 2016 with the rich fruit weight of the 2015.
| XNE 0746 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 | |
| XNE 0747 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 | |
| XNE 0745 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 |
VELVETY -RP96+ - The Tua Rita 2021 Redigaffi is a wine of thick character and dark extraction. This 100% expression of Merlot offers tension and extreme balance with very generous layers of dark cherry, plum, dried blackberry, spice and tobacco. It displays a spectacularly soft and velvety texture over a full-bodied approach. Redigaffi is often monolithic and monotone in its younger years, and it needs more bottle age to come into focus. This is very true for the 2021 vintage.
| XNE 0748 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $614 | |
| XNE 0751 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $614 | |
| XNE 0749 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $614 |
ETHEREAL - RP99 - One of the high points of this vertical tasting, the 1989 d'Yquem is a magical wine offering up a complex, refined bouquet with aromas of quince, apricot, pineapple, menthol, flowers and white truffles, followed by a full-bodied, concentrated and seamless palate, pure and vibrant structure and lively acids, concluding with a long, perfumed, ethereal finish
| XNE 2537 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $2449 | |
| XNE 2536 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $2449 | |
| XNE 2535 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $2449 |
PERFECTLY BALANCED - RP98+ - The 2005 d'Yquem continues to drink beautifully today, evoking aromas of honey, saffron, vanilla pod, apricot, jasmine and orange peel. Full-bodied, sensual and juicy, it’s medium to full-bodied, with a seamless texture and a perfectly balanced palate, finishing fruity and racy. Although still a little closed and in a rather discreet phase, it has magnificent aging potential, and readers with bottles in their cellars should leave them to mature for 10 to 20 years.
SUPERB - RP98 - The 2007 d'Yquem is considered a perfect example of the Sauternes "miracle." Despite a chaotic spring and cool summer, the botrytis transformed the grapes, giving them ideal concentration throughout October. With 137 grams of residual sugar, it offers up a complex, fresh, enchanting bouquet with aromas of apricot, pineapple, saffron, orchard fruits and spices intertwined with a touch of white truffles. Full-bodied and concentrated, layered and seamless, the wine is fresh and tense on the mid-palate, with a long, penetrating and racy finish. Superb!
| ACC 11950 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $710 | SOLD |
| XNE 1757 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $2099 |
PRISTINE HARMONY - RP100 - In comparison to the 2010 vintage, the 2009 d'Yquem is more concentrated with a stunning "rôti," the consequence of noble rot in French. Developing a powerful, complex bouquet with aromas of pineapple, apricot, saffron, flowers, spices and orchard fruits, it’s dense and concentrated, full-bodied and layered with a crystalline texture complicated by notes of white truffles that reveal a racy, endless and a superb finish concluding with a pristine harmony. Readers with bottles in their cellars will have to be patient before opening this masterpiece with 155 grams of residual sugar.
| ACC 17192 | 1 HALF BOTTLE | Current Bid: $629 |
PERFECTLY CONTROLLED - RP96 - The 2013 d'Yquem is open and demonstrative, evoking aromas of apricot, saffron, musk, spices and exotic fruits, followed by a medium to full-bodied, pure and deep palate paving the way to a perfectly controlled power. The finish is animated with bright acids and a sappy, fleshy texture typical of Yquem’s clay terroirs, and while it may stand in the shadow of its Bordeaux vintage red counterpart, whose reputation has been somewhat wanting, this Sauternes deserves of praise in its own right.
PRECISE - RP96 - With 135 grams of residual sugar, the 2016 d'Yquem has turned out brilliantly in bottle, exhibiting a precise, harmonic, deep bouquet with aromas of mango, lychee, jasmine, exotic fruits, dry apricot and menthol. It’s moderately weighted and tense with a layered yet concentrated texture and a long, vibrant finish. Racy, charming and attractively complete, it distinguishes itself from its peers with its bright acidity.
| XNE 0784 | 1 HALF BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $459 | |
| XNE 0783 | 1 HALF BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $459 | |
| XNE 0782 | 1 HALF BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $459 |
SIMPLY STUNNING - RP97 - The 2017 d'Yquem is simply stunning, evoking both a minty and fresh bouquet with aromas of apricot, baked pear, saffron, honeycomb and flowers. Full-bodied, rich and seamless, it’s perfectly balanced with a beautiful bittersweet mid-palate and a long, endless finish with aromas of crème brûlée, salted butter caramel and vanilla pod. This blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc contains 148 grams of residual sugar.
| XNE 0872 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1049 | |
| XNE 0874 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1049 |
BLOWS YOU AWAY - RP97 - A blend of 83% Semillon and 17% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2017 Rieussec is pale to medium lemon-gold colored. To begin, the nose blows you away with intense lemon tart, lime cordial, mango and quince notes followed by a second wave of floral, orange blossoms and honeysuckle scents, and then notes of crushed rocks, crème caramel and marzipan join the party. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is still very tightly wound with concentrated sweetness and a racy backbone to match, delivering layer upon layer of citrus and savory flavors, finishing on a persistent mineral note.
SHOCKED AT THE QUALITY - RP97+ - I was shocked at the quality of the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin and I can’t think of another wine that comes close to this level of depth, concentration and richness in the vintage. Its inky color is followed by sensational notes of roasted herbs, licorice, caramelized meats and layers of black and blue fruits. Rich, full-bodied, thick and unctuous, hats off to the Perrin family for this incredible effort! Give bottles 4-6 years of cellaring and drink over the following two decades.
| XNE 0596 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0597 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0599 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 |
WOW - RP98 - As this was bottled only a week before I tasted it, I suspect this rating will prove to be conservative once a few months have passed. The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is another prodigious version of this wine. How many wines in this world can be so huge yet so lacking the feeling of weight? There's plenty of layered spice but also a core of raspberries; rich tannins, yet no real astringency; and a long finish without any apparent heat. Wow!
| XNE 1036 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $814 | |
| XNE 1035 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $814 | |
| XNE 1034 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $814 |
BREATHTAKING - RP100 - Marvelously complex, deeply fruited and massively concentrated yet wonderfully drinkable, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin challenges the number of superlatives that can be thrown at it. Scents of violets, tree bark, truffle, purple raspberries and blackberries all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, dense and velvety, and the finish shows enormous richness and length. Breathtaking stuff.
| XNE 0600 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 | |
| XNE 0602 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 | |
| XNE 0603 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 |
IMPECCABLE - RP96+ - More masculine, backwards and concentrated, the 2005 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis is a full-bodied, structured effort that’s just barely starting to show some secondary nuances. Giving up notions of violet, asphalt, graphite, crushed rock, bacon fat and dried rose petal, it has impeccable balance, notable concentration and a big finish. It should hit prime time in another 2 to 3 years, and evolve gracefully through 2025.
| KEN 0796 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $161 | |
| KEN 0797 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $161 | |
| KEN 0798 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $170 |
MASSIVELY - RP98+ - Massively concentrated and tannic, Chapoutier's 2019 Ermitage le Pavillon looks as if it will take a few more years to come around than the other selections parcellaires. The initial scents of crushed stone and cassis are intriguing, but this full-bodied wine comes across almost cold and reserved yet immensely promising. On this occasion, Michel Chapoutier pronounced it "a tea of granite," which describes it fairly well, although hints of its future charms can be seen on the long, licorice-tinged and mouthwatering finish.
| XFW 0245 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $689 | |
| XFW 0246 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $689 | |
| XFW 0253 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $689 |
GREAT - RP100 - Crushed stone, mint, blackberries and cassis all appear upon the nose of the 2020 Ermitage le Pavillon. The great vintages of these wines soak up the oak, like this one has. Full-bodied, concentrated and massive in scale, it's a mouthful of dark fruit flavors that gradually morph into something more savory on the long, silky-firm finish, adding notes of black olives and espresso. It's really impressive, as it maintains a sense of elegance all along its path.
| XFW 0289 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $674 | |
| XFW 0533 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $674 | |
| XFW 0537 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $674 |
WINESEARCHER - 92/100 - 7 CRITIC REVIEWS
| 136 0021 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar & Museum Release | Current Bid: $1472 |
BREATHTAKING - RP95+ - The 2009 Chambertin is breathtaking in its beauty. It boasts gorgeous textural depth and richness in its eternal, endless layers of fruit. This is a totally seamless wine that captures the style of the year and the personality of the vineyard. A sweet note of cassis lingers on the finessed finish. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039.
| 136 0020 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar & Museum Release | Current Bid: $5520 |
PATIENCE - RP92 - The 2009 Clos St. Jacques is a rich, deeply pitched wine built on a serious core of dark red fruit, menthol, spices and licorice. Readers won’t find much of the early appeal of 2009 here, rather this is a wine built for the cellar. Layers of flavor build to a huge finish supported by considerable tannin. This intense, powerful wine is going to require quite a bit of patience. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029.
| PLU 0003 | 1 BOTTLE Stained label | Current Bid: $1201 |
SUPERBLY - RP97 - The 2020 Angélus has turned out superbly and underlines this estate's continuing shift to a more elegant, integrated style that offers a purer expression of its terroir. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, rose petals, mint and subtle hints of licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully layered and vibrant palate that's deep, precise and penetrating, concluding with a mouthwateringly chalky finish. Some 120 hectoliters of Cabernet Franc, amounting to around 20% of the blend, were matured in foudre this year, which no doubt helps to account for the significantly reduced oak impact in the 2020.
| XNE 2400 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $874 | |
| XNE 2399 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $874 | |
| XNE 2398 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $874 |
BEHEMOTH - RP96+ - Deep purple-black, the 2016 Bellevue Mondotte has a dark, seductive, opulent nose of star anise, cumin seed, dried roses, incense and cedar chest over a core of plum preserves, baked blueberries, dates and Christmas cake plus hints of unsmoked cigars and tapenade. The full-bodied palate is a behemoth of fruit with a rock-solid frame to match, featuring firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and very spicy.
| TUR 1002 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $180 |
TUMBLES - RP97+ - A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Canon has a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles effortlessly out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, preserved plums, black cherry compote and Ceylon tea with hints of kirsch, powdered cinnamon, chocolate box and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruit layers, supported by plush, oh-so-soft tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant.
| TUR 0992 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $224 |
IMPRESSIVE - RP98+ - The 2018 Cos d'Estournel is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak barriques. The alcohol weighs in at just over 14.5%. Sporting a deep purple-black color, it needs a lot of swirling to begin to unlock a powerful nose of crème de cassis, stewed plums, wild blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by nuances of Sichuan pepper, star anise, tree and clove oil, plus a waft of charcoal. The full-bodied palate is densely packed with taut, muscular black fruits and earthy layers, framed by super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and wonderfully earthy. A very impressive behemoth, this is going to need a good seven to 10 years to truly show its stuff and should drink for a good 40 years and beyond.
| XSA 1996 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $519 | |
| XSA 1995 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $519 |
BRILLIANTLY - RP97 - The 2019 Cos d'Estournel has turned out brilliantly, exhibiting aromas of minty cassis, sweet wild berries and wild plums mingled with hints of spices, loamy soil and potpourri. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's polished and seamless, its ample chassis of fine, velvety tannin entirely concealed in its deep core of succulent, crunchy fruit. Beautifully integrated at this early stage, the last decade has witnessed a number of changes at this address, including a trend toward less aggressively late picking, cooler fermentations and élevage with fewer rackings and more moderate percentages of less heavily toasted new oak: in 2019, the results speak for themselves.
| XNE 0766 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $499 | |
| XNE 0765 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $499 | |
| XNE 0753 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $499 |
BEGUILING - RP100 - The 2009 Cuvee Madame, composed of 100% Sémillon, is pale lemon-gold in color with a beguiling fragrance of peach blossoms, mandarin peel, jasmine and allspice with core of pineapple, lemon pie, peach preserves and ginger plus a waft of musk perfume. Very big, powerful and seductive with decadent richness and loads of spice and floral layers accenting the ripe stone fruit flavors, it finishes with epic persistence.
| XNE 2531 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $599 | |
| XNE 2530 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $599 | |
| XNE 2529 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $599 |
HANDSOMELY - RP97+ - Composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Haut-Bailly offers up a tantalizingly savory nose of smoked meats, chargrill, tapenade, unsmoked cigars and black truffles with a core of black currants, black cherries and wild blueberries plus wafts of iron ore and bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied, very firm and yet wonderfully plush with a powerful core of fruit—this vintage is truly an iron fist in a velvet glove. The finish goes on and on with persistent earthy/minerally notes and savory/sweet fruit. Although it is tempting and indeed delicious right now, the wine still possesses many restrained layers and should handsomely reward the patient.
| TUR 0990 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
WILL DELIGHT - RP97 - The 2021 Haut-Brion confirms its fine showing en primeur, cementing its status as one of the wines of the vintage. Its complex bouquet of dark berries and cassis mingled with notions of cigar wrapper and burning embers unfurls in the glass. Full-bodied, deep and velvety, it’s concentrated and layered with a multidimensional core of fruit, sweet tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Reflecting the timeless elegance of Haut-Brions from cooler years, the 2021 will delight Bordeaux purists.
| XNE 2427 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1179 | |
| XNE 2426 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1179 | |
| XNE 2425 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1179 |
OUTSTANDING - RP90 - While La Mission Haut-Brion’s 2004 is not one of this estate’s top successes, it is an outstanding wine, no doubt because of this extraordinary terroir. Deep ruby/purple with notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with black cherries, cassis, and a hint of scorched earth, medium body, sweet tannin, and a good, but uninspiring finish, this attractive, mid-weight La Mission should age nicely for 15 or more years.
| EIO 0237 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $390 | SOLD |
SHIMMERS - RP99 - The 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 53.5% Merlot, 42.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.6% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it emerges from the glass with a first wave of stewed black and red plums, mulberries and black raspberries scents, followed by pronounced notions of warm cassis, clove oil, violets and chocolate box, with hints of cast-iron pan, pencil lead and forest floor coming through after a few minutes. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energy, delivering layers of red and black fruits with earthy and mineral sparks and a texture so satiny you need to remember to look for it, finishing with amazing vibrancy. This is so wonderfully evocative and singular, and yet it feels like its holding something back. It makes for an impressive glass right now, but give it a good 5 years in bottle to allow further nuances to emerge and expect it to seriously reward those who can wait a good 12-15 years, when it should really hit its stride.
| TUR 0987 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $520 |
LATE BLOOMER - RP95 - The 2004 Lafite-Rothschild appears to be another late-bloomer in the sense that this 12-year-old bottle is the best I have tasted, implying an upward swing in quality. It has a wondrous bouquet, very sensual and pure with blackberry, graphite and cedar - all the hallmarks of Pauillac, delivered with great panache. It is more opulent than I recall. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, pitch-perfect acidity and a beautiful structure. There is a regal sense to this Lafite, understated compared to the other First Growths and yet the persistence on the finish deserves a round of applause, especially in the context of the vintage. This is superb and could possibly turn out to be the pick of the Firsts. Tasted September 2016.
| ERI 0027 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $1200 | |
| ERI 0026 | 1 BOTTLE Stained rear label | Current Bid: $1200 |
INTENSE NOTES - RP95 - The 1995 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Medium garnet colored with a touch of brick, it needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock the intense notes of baked plums, dried mulberries and boysenberry preserves with hints of black truffles, Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars and dusty soil, plus wafts of beef drippings and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers good weight and generous fruit, supported by plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with loads of earth, sautéed herbs and mineral-inspired flavors.
| 106 0957 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
SPECTACULAR - RP98 - The 2000 Léoville Las Cases takes time to unwind in the decanter and glass, but when it begins to show all its cards, the display is spectacular. Mingling aromas of dark berries and red fruits with aromas of pencil shavings, loamy soil, cedar box, bitter chocolate, dried rose petals and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered, complete mid-palate that's rare in this vintage, powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. An uncompromising classic, even as it closes in on its 22nd birthday, the 2000 Las Cases remains an infant in terms of evolution.
| BRA 0005 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $390 | SOLD |
CAPABLE - RP92 - Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Chateau Margaux was just missing a little intensity on the nose compared to the other First Growths: scents of incense and iris, blackberry and tobacco, perhaps just missing the floral nature of other vintages. The palate is well balanced with supple black fruit laced with graphite and tobacco, fully matured but clearly with sufficient substance to last another 15-20 years. It is a capable Château Margaux, although frankly it does not put enough distance between itself and its Margaux peers, yapping at its heels. Tasted February 2017.
| ERI 0024 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $880 |
WONDERFULLY - RP98 - The 2009 Château Margaux is deep garnet in color and features wonderfully fragrant minted cassis, lilacs, Black Forest cake and oolong tea scents with touches of pencil shavings and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm, grainy frame with lovely freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a very long, mineral-laced finish.
| ERI 0025 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $2000 |
ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL - RP99 - The 2015 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Medium garnet-purple colored, the nose features oh-so-seductive notes of warm blackberries, cassis and black forest cake with touches of forest floor, sandalwood, anise and cigar boxes plus a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers taut, muscular, densely packed black fruits and exotic spice flavor layers supported by a very firm backbone of grainy tannins with oodles of freshness and a long, savory finish. It is tightly knit and a little reticent at this very youthful stage; afford it at least 15 years in the cellar, and it will open out into a classic Chateau Margaux of incredible proportions. Readers may be interested to know that this wine is beautifully packaged in a special commemorative bottle honoring winemaker Paul Pontellier, who passed away in 2016. The gold-etched black bottle bears the message, “Hommage à Paul Pontellier” at the bottom. This 2015 is an achingly beautiful swan song from an incredibly gifted winemaker, taken from us too soon. In my view, this alone makes this vintage more than worth the investment for the many lovers of history in a bottle.
| XNE 0922 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $3824 |
CLASSIC - RP100 - The 2018 Château Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, representing 36% of the crop this year. The wine has a pH of 3.8 and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal tantalizing scents of crème de cassis, wild blueberries and Black Forest cake with hints of redcurrant jelly, rose oil, dark chocolate and cedar chest plus a touch of star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit, fragrant earth and floral layers, supported by a rock-solid structure of exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless backbone of freshness, finishing with fantastic length. This is classic Margaux at its most seductive, although it is, rather amazingly, approachable and absolutely delicious right now. But, to enjoy its full glory, you will want to cellar it for at least 6-8 years and then watch it metamorphize over the next 40+ years.
| TUR 0986 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $1200 |
CLASSIC - RP95 - The 2021 Château Margaux saw a traditional élevage in new barrels, with bottling in July, and as readers will remember, it's a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that benefited from late picking, appreciable percentages of saignée, and a strict selection. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, blueberries and raspberries mingled with hints of licorice, white flowers and charcoal, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a broad attack, lively purity and sweet structuring tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. It's a classic that will richly reward bottle age.
| XNE 2476 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1199 | |
| XNE 2477 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1199 | |
| XNE 2480 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1199 |
SURPASS - RP98 - The 2005 Montrose continues to show brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of blackcurrant, red fruits, loamy soil, black truffles and cigar ash. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's still brooding and tannic, with lively acids and an imposing chassis of structuring—and artery-cleansing—extract. Still an adolescent, it's one of the last unrepentantly old-school vintages of Montrose, and Médoc purists couldn't own enough. While this remains a very youthful wine, it is now apparent that the 2005 will, at maturity, surpass the 1989 and 1990.
| PLU 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $289 |
MONSTER - RP95 - A hulking monster of power and extraction, the 2018 Montrose offers up rich aromas of mulberries, cherries, dark chocolate and violets. Full-bodied, broad and ample, with a textural attack that segues into a sweet core of fruit framed by ripe but chewy tannins, it's a muscular, dense Montrose with structure to burn, concluding with a lingering, floral finish. While its over 14.5% alcohol is impressively well integrated, Médoc purists will want to gravitate toward the 2016 rather than the 2018.
| TUR 0988 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
Magificient MOUTON ROTHSCHILD - 2014 Art offer with David Hockney gracing the label - RP95 - The 2014 Mouton-Rothschild was closed at first when I tasted the wine in bottle with winemaker Philippe Dhalluin. But as it transpires, this First Growth is just toying with you. Initially quite understated, it responds to aeration like a young child peeking from around a corner and then running out, waving its hands. It suddenly hits you with gorgeous black cherries, bilberry, cedar and wilted rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth entry. This is utterly seductive: a wine without a hair out of place. It is not as powerful or as complex as the 2015 Mouton-Rothschild, yet the precision and focus here is beguiling. It will require five to seven years to absorb the 100% new oak, then it will be an utterly delicious and to use a term employed at en primeur, "cerebral" First Growth that is destined to give two or three decades of pleasure.
| DCH 0002 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $922 |
| XNE 2481 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $694 | |
| XNE 2482 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $694 | |
| XNE 2483 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $694 |
EPIC - RP98 - In 2015, the blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine was matured 80% in new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pavie is still sporting a bit of its oak to begin, giving way to a glorious nose of crushed black cherries, blackberries and mulberries plus hints of dried roses, stewed tea, unsmoked cigars and garrigue. The rich, concentrated, full-bodied palate delivers an incredible structure of very firm, very ripe tannins and a racy line of freshness cutting through the dense layers of perfumed black fruits and savory notions, finishing with epic length.
| TUR 0985 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $540 |
RP89 - The 2005 Pichon Lalande, with its aromatics of cassis, forest floor and earth are followed by a medium-bodied wine that doesn’t have quite the length and richness the aromatics suggest. Nevertheless, it is medium-bodied, elegant, and pure, and a classic example for this château. Drink it now as well as over the next 15 or so years. It is showing better than my earlier notes suggest.
| EIO 0238 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $296 |
IMMORTAL - RP100 - One of the greatest wines that this estate has produced in the modern era, the 2016 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant classic that no Bordeaux lover is going to want to do without. Mingling aromas of cassis and plums with notions of licorice, sweet tobacco leaf, rich soil tones, licorice, cigar smoke and violets, it's full-bodied, seamless and complete, with huge concentration, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish. Standing out for its unerring precision, impeccable balance and ineffable sense of completeness, it should prove almost immortal.
| XNE 2373 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $799 | |
| XNE 2372 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $799 | |
| XNE 2371 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $799 |
INCREDIBLE - RP97 - Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pontet-Canet comes charging out of the glass with fantastically expressive notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles plus touches of kirsch, wilted roses, tobacco, camphor and cinnamon stick with a waft of fragrant soil. Full bodied, the palate is laden with black and red fruit layers, supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and provocative freshness, finishing with incredible length and stunningly perfumed.
| TUR 0982 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $220 | |
| TUR 0983 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $221 |
LONG - RP97 - Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Rauzan-Ségla offers up an expressive nose of baked blackberries, kirsch, warm cassis and baked plums with hints of cigar box and tilled soil. Full-bodied, rich and expansive in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of bold red and black fruit preserves with earthy accents and a velvety texture, finishing long and lively.
| XNE 0991 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $284 | |
| XNE 0992 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $284 | |
| XNE 0993 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $284 |
EFORTLESSLY - RP97 - Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Rauzan-Ségla drifts effortlessly from the glass with fragrant rose hip tea, candied violets and chocolate box scents over a core of fresh blackcurrants and black cherry compote plus wafts of tobacco and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a great mid-palate of softly textured black and blue fruits with loads of floral nuances and a refreshing lift on the finish.
| XNE 0984 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 | |
| XNE 0989 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 | |
| XNE 0990 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $349 |
INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT - RP98+ The 2018 Rauzan-Ségla is composed of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine has 14% alcohol, and it was aged for around 18 months in barriques, 65% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes galloping out of the glass with powerful, energetic scents of crushed black cherries, blackcurrant cordial and mulberries, plus suggestions of violets, star anise, chocolate mint and crushed rocks with a touch of tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with taut, muscular black fruit layers, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with fantastic length and loads of earthy sparks. This is a thoroughbred Margaux, for sure, possessing amazing power in a very sleek, sophisticated package. Give it 5-7 years in bottle to unlock all those earth, floral and mineral nuances and drink it over the next 40 years or more. An incredible achievement that adeptly sidesteps the potentially overwhelming stamps of this extreme vintage. Bravo to Technical Director Nicolas Audebert and the team at Rauzan-Ségla!
| XNE 0982 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $354 | |
| XNE 0983 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $354 | |
| XNE 0980 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $354 |
VIBRANCY - RP87-89 - A fruity style of wine, the medium-bodied 2001 Petit Cheval (15,000 bottles), was made from 40% Cabernet Franc and 60% Merlot. It does not possess the weight of its bigger sibling, but there is admirable perfume, good vibrancy to the cool climate characteristics, and excellent definition. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.
| BRA 0006 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
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