| Australian | 2595 |
| Italian | 839 |
| Imported | 699 |
| Burgundy | 529 |
| Champagne | 366 |
| Bordeaux | 309 |
| New Zealand | 307 |
| Sauternes / Barsac | 175 |
| Rhone | 148 |
| Chablis | 126 |
| France | 116 |
| Whisky | 114 |
| Port | 43 |
| Spirits | 25 |
| Total Lots: | 6391 |
| PENFOLDS Grange | 2002 |
| PENFOLDS Grange Hermitage | 1984 |
| CLOS SAINT JEAN Deus ex Machina ... | 2019 |
| CLOS SAINT JEAN Deus ex Machina ... | 2019 |
| CLOS SAINT JEAN Deus ex Machina ... | 2019 |
| PENFOLDS Grange | 1992 |
| ROCKFORD Rifle Range | 2017 |
| CLYNELISH Game of Thrones House ... | NV |
| SUNTORY The Yamazaki 18 Year Old | NV |
| PENFOLDS Grange | 2005 |
| PENFOLDS Grange |
| HENSCHKE Hill of Grace |
GOLD IN THE WINE - RP87? - The 2014 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is Helderberg fruit and includes one block of Cabernet Franc close to the winery (8% of the blend). It was matured in 60% new barriques for around 18 months and offers attractive blackberry, sage and sandalwood aromas on the nose, which is nicely focused and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, plenty of black fruit laced with black pepper, though I felt that there was a touch of jarring greenness on the finish (perhaps from the Cabernet Franc) that just knocks it a little of balance. Let's see how this shows in a year.
Where would Franschhoek be without Boekenhoutskloof? They were one of the prime movers in the region's original ascendence, a beacon of quality and commerciality, whether it was their legendary 1997 Syrah or their Chocolate Block releases respectively. On this occasion I arrived just after a crucial night of heavy rainfall after a long and worrying period of drought, extant clouds pregnant with water to quench the vines' thirst. First, I asked former Chamonix winemaker Gottfried Mocke whether there had been changes at Boekenhoutskloof since my last visit in 2015. One that I mentioned in my previous report was a move to source all their Chocolate Block from Swartland, having acquired vines adjacent to those of Mullineux, known as the Goldmine Vineyard.
| XSA 1662 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $72 | |
| XSA 1657 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $72 |
MAKING THESE FOR COLLECTORS - RP96 - The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is a blend of two parcels: Wallis and Rhyolite Ridge, with mainly volcanic soils. Scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, cassis and cherries lead the way, while the palate is full-bodied but not overly ripe or broad, just finely honed, polished, silky and long, with a dusting of fine-grained tannins on the finish.
Lokoya is the Jackson Family Wines brand that encompasses mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from four different mountain AVAs. Winemaker Chris Carpenter selects fruit from Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain, then uses virtually identical winemaking to make the wines—the one exception being that he varies the choice of cooper, matching the barrel to the site. "I'm making these for collectors, not for the restaurant world," said Carpenter. "These are all babies—the tannins define these appellations."
| XBW 3713 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 | |
| XBW 3714 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 | |
| XBW 3715 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 |
HIGH ROLLER VISIONARY - RP93 - Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain offers up pronounced notes of baked cherries, blackberry preserves and warm cassis with touches of espresso, mincemeat pie and tree bark plus a waft of dried herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is laden with Indian spices, fragrant herbs and warm black fruits with a chewy frame and earthy kick to the finish. 195 cases were made.
| XBW 3711 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $954 | |
| XBW 3712 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $954 |
MAKING THESE FOR COLLECTORS - RP97 - Sourced from two blocks of the Keyes Vineyard at La Jota, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain shows more caramel, barrel toast and mocha notes, derived from the choice of Demptos as the cooper. Cassis and blueberry flesh out the flavor profile of this full-bodied, rich, velvety effort. Mouth-filling and plush, it's broad and expansive in the mouth, finishing long and intricately textured.
Lokoya is the Jackson Family Wines brand that encompasses mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from four different mountain AVAs. Winemaker Chris Carpenter selects fruit from Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain, then uses virtually identical winemaking to make the wines—the one exception being that he varies the choice of cooper, matching the barrel to the site. "I'm making these for collectors, not for the restaurant world," said Carpenter. "These are all babies—the tannins define these appellations."
| XBW 3721 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 | |
| XBW 3719 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 | |
| XBW 3720 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 |
FIREWORK DISPLAY - RP99 - Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder was aged in French oak barrels for 22 months, 94% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it soars out of the glass with vivacious scents of black cherries, black raspberries and black currant pastilles, followed by nuances of pencil shavings, tilled earth, lilacs and underbrush plus a waft of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is taut, packed with muscular, impactful black fruits, featuring a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a whole firework display of earthy/minerally sparks. Give it a good 4-5 years in bottle and drink it for the next 25+ years. 1,327 cases were made.
| XBW 3511 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $929 |
IMMENSE PROMISE - RP96+ - Produced from the same block of vines since 2001, and matured in a combination of Taransaud and Seguin-Moreau barriques, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder features pretty but restrained floral and herbal notes, cassis and then a wave of exotic spice notes from the wood. Full-bodied and quite tannic on the long, velvety finish, this wine needs more time than the other Lokoya bottlings. It may not be as complete now, but it shows immense promise and length.
Lokoya is the Jackson Family Wines brand that encompasses mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from four different mountain AVAs. Winemaker Chris Carpenter selects fruit from Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain, then uses virtually identical winemaking to make the wines—the one exception being that he varies the choice of cooper, matching the barrel to the site. "I'm making these for collectors, not for the restaurant world," said Carpenter. "These are all babies—the tannins define these appellations."
| XBW 3718 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 | |
| XBW 3716 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 | |
| XBW 3717 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $944 |
SEAMLESS VELVET & SILK - RP98 - Lokoya's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is a bit floral and herbal, with lovely bay leaf and sage nuances vaguely reminiscent of some Margaret River Cabernets. Ripe cassis and cherries round out the full-bodied palate in a seamless combination of velvet and silk, finishing long and slinky, again marked by fine-grained, soft tannins. Fruit from two vineyards—Yverdon and Wurtele—goes into this wine, which aged in Sylvain barriques for their subtlety.
Lokoya is the Jackson Family Wines brand that encompasses mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from four different mountain AVAs. Winemaker Chris Carpenter selects fruit from Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain, then uses virtually identical winemaking to make the wines—the one exception being that he varies the choice of cooper, matching the barrel to the site. "I'm making these for collectors, not for the restaurant world," said Carpenter. "These are all babies—the tannins define these appellations."
| XBW 3722 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 | |
| XBW 3723 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 | |
| XBW 3724 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $999 |
CHARMING BUT PRECISE - RP95 - Offering up complex aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, confit citrus, frangipane, walnuts, dried white flowers and subtle hints of iodine, Bollinger's 2014 Brut La Grande Année is medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with an elegantly fleshy core of fruit that's underpinned by racy acids and complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long, chalky finish, this is a charming but precise Grande Année that's more giving and demonstrative than its immediate predecessor, the 2012, but which attains a very similar level of quality in a more challenging vintage—testimony to the serious viticulture that underpins Bollinger's contemporary excellence.
| XHO 0035 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $699 |
TURNED OUT BEAUTIFULLY - RP95+ - The 2015 Brut La Grande Année was disgorged last year with eight grams per liter dosage. The wine has turned out beautifully, exhibiting a more muscular, old-school Bollinger profile in contrast to the unusually racy, fine-boned 2014 that preceded it. Wafting from the glass with notes of pear, orange oil and white flowers mingled with notions of mocha, toasted hazelnuts and fino sherry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a dense core of fruit framed by chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, sapid finish.
| XHO 0229 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $269 | |
| XHO 0255 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XHO 0228 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $269 | |
| XHO 0040 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $269 |
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: $318 | |
| ACC 15506 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $318 | |
| ACC 15507 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $318 | |
| ACC 15508 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $318 | |
| ACC 15509 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $318 |
ANOTHER 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.
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.
| JIR 0016 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $260 |
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.
| XBW 3398 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $356 | |
| XBW 3399 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $356 | |
| XBW 3400 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $356 |
GOSH - WHAT A WINE - 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 16608 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $134 | |
| XBW 2934 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $134 | |
| XBW 2933 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $134 | |
| XBW 2931 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $134 |
BEAUTIFUL OLD VINE WINE - The 2022 Diana Madeline is a culmination of over 50 years of dedication effort and respect for the land to make the best quality wine. The vintage was perfect for elegant cabernet sauvignon, with warm conditions early and then cooler conditions making it an epic vintage with reds ripening earlier than usual. Hand harvested over 5 biodynamic calendar days from 12th March to 16th March, three flower days and culminating on a full Moon fruit day when Venus and Saturn were in conjunction.
An average of 30 days on skins. The wine spent 14 months in 55% new oak. In a mixture of biodynamic barriques and puncheons. The final blend comprises 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec.The Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1971, Merlot 1976, Cabernet Franc 1976 and Malbec in 1978… beautiful old vine wine. Cullen Website
KEVIN HEAVEN - JH96 - Even if this is a rich rendition full of white stone fruit, quince paste with pomelo dusted in ginger powder and daikon radish, it has the Kevin John thumbprint. And while all that’s all well and lovely, it’s how this feels that makes it special: a density of fruit yet succulence, fleshy and full with umami lees, this is pulsing with flavour and energy and the oak gives off a savoury appearance. As always, compelling.
OFFICIAL - WORLD'S BEST - This is the real deal - For around $100, MUST have this in the cellar ready for that "special occassion"
Fermoy has won the prestigious Best in Show at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards for our Fermoy 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The Decanter World Wine Awards is regarded as the world’s largest and most influential wine competition. Judged by top wine experts, Best in Show is the highest accolade in the competition, awarded only to the top 50 (0.27%) wines of the show, out of more than 18,000 entries from across the world. Making outstanding Cabernet is our raison d'être, the pinnacle of what we do. To win an award for Cabernet is exceptionally gratifying. Senior Winemaker Jeremy Hodgson is thrilled with the win; “To have our Reserve Cabernet recognised as the very best is not only a win for Fermoy, but it shines the light once again on Margaret River being a consistently world-class producer of Cabernet Sauvignon.” Fermoy Website
| XHO 0477 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $79 | |
| XHO 0438 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $79 | |
| XHO 0439 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $79 |
NEW WORLD ORDER - JUDGEMENT OF GIACONDA - Magnum Mayhem - Incredible opportunity, Priced to find the worthy
| LEE 0061 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $600 |
NEW WORLD ORDER - JUDGEMENT OF GIACONDA - Magnum Mayhem - Incredible opportunity, Priced to find the worthy
| LEE 0062 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $600 |
NEW WORLD ORDER - JUDGEMENT OF GIACONDA - Magnum Mayhem - Incredible opportunity, Priced to find the worthy
| LEE 0063 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $750 |
NEW WORLD ORDER - JUDGEMENT OF GIACONDA - Magnum Mayhem - Incredible opportunity, Priced to find the worthy
| LEE 0064 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $600 |
NEW WORLD ORDER - JUDGEMENT OF GIACONDA - Magnum Mayhem - Incredible opportunity, Priced to find the worthy
| LEE 0066 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $750 |
LUCIOUS, INTRIGUING, STYLISH - JH97 - Hand-picked fruit, whole-bunch crushed, basket pressed, fermented in French oak (30% new), mlf, matured 20 months in an underground cave. The secret – if there is one – to Giaconda chardonnay is the depth of complexity achieved. It is a thing of wonder to get lost in, as you wander through layer upon layer of stone fruits, citrus and grilled nuts, almond cream, spice and then gently embedded oak. Luscious. Intriguing. Stylish.
| LEE 0067 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $600 | |
| LEE 0068 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $600 |
MASTERCLASS - JH99 - An utterly beguiling wine of deep complexity and stunning freshness. Vintage '22 brought on one of the latest harvests ever for the maker, and the cool season and long hang time has worked a special kind of magic. The scent demands your attention, with jasmine, citrus blossom, grapefruit flesh, nectarine, peach custard, cashew and buttered toast. Seamless entry, the wine glides across a richly detailed palate, textural and luxurious in flavour, with a pinch of bright quince-led spice to close. Filigree fine acidity brings a crystal clarity and freshness. A chardonnay masterclass from the masters.
RP98 - The 2022 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay follows hot on the heels of the perfect 2021 release, and in doing so, it has big boots to fill. Aromatically, the wine leads, as all Giaconda Chardonnay's do, with white flowers and notions of campfire and charred gum leaves, cracked white peppercorns and white peach, salt and caper brine. Crushed and salted nuts, enoki mushroom, shaved fennel, torched pink grapefruit ... the cavalcade of flavors march on across the palate. In this season, the wine is altogether more quietly nuanced and placid than the sleek, powerfully focused 2021 vintage. However, in so saying, this wine is balanced and fine, somewhat less overtly reductive (although still imbued with that salivating characteristic), populated by softer-spoken fruit and yet no less sapid or palate staining. It is in the mouth that the pedigree of the wine comes to the fore. The chalky texture and the penetrating intensity of flavor in combination are what make this wine so great, as I see it, and the 2022 vintage provides a gentle framework within which the wine exists. This is a gorgeous, elegant, precise and detailed release of this magnificent wine. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
| GIL 0001 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| GIL 0003 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| GIL 0004 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| GIL 0005 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 | |
| GIL 0006 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
GOLDEN AGE OF FORTIFIED - Time long passed when Port was the ultimate expression -Table wine was the left overs - SPECIAL 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
| GGR 0194 | 1 BOTTLE Label damage | Current Bid: $199 |
GREAT GRACE - RP94 - Deep brick color, the 1986 Hill of Grace is a well-defined nose of dried mulberries and kirsch with hints of truffles, menthol, earth and cigar boxes. Medium-bodied with good fruit concentration and plenty of savory, spicy layers of flavors, it has bright acid, medium-firm, grainy tannins and a long finish. It is mature. 2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
| NIK 0176 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder & label damage | Current Bid: $640 |
GREAT GRACE - RP89 - 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. 2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
| STO 0094 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck, signs of past weeping, & slight label damage | Current Bid: $489 | |
| NIK 0178 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $640 |
MUSEUM RELEASE - 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. 2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
| XBW 3457 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1214 | |
| XBW 3456 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1214 |
HOLDING STRONG - RP93 - Deep garnet-brick colored, the 1992 Hill of Grace exudes aromas of dried mulberries, blackberry preserves, iron ore, menthol and lavender. Well-structured with medium-firm chewy tannins, crisp acid and muscular fruit, it has a long and earthy finish. It is mature and holding strong - 2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
GREATEST GRACE? - RP98 -JH94
ONE OF THE BEST EVER VINTAGES - JH94 - Medium purple-red; vanillin oak is immediately evident on the bouquet, but without subduing the smooth supple fruit, showing none of the "sauvage" characters of the 1993. A lovely wine on the palate, although the oak is very evident, perhaps supporting, perhaps distracting from the fruit. A mild, dry summer with a slow start to vintage was followed by two weeks of hot weather, which ripened everything at once. Stephen Henschke described it as the year of the "black ferments", and regards it as having the potential to be one of the best ever vintages.
RP98- Deep brick-colored, the 1994 Hill of Grace offers notes of stewed plums, dried berries and baking spices with nuances of aniseed, vanilla and potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, it has great concentration and structure in the mouth, with crisp acid plus firm, grainy tannins, and is packed with layered, dried berry and spice flavors before finishing long with tons of remaining fruit. This wine still has many years to go. Drink it now to 2030+.2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
| STO 0073 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $586 | |
| SRF 0006 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $496 |
RP90 - Deep garnet-brick in color, the 1998 Hill of Grace has a medicinal nose of iodine plus warm plums, prunes, licorice and espresso. A bit hard in the mouth, it has crisp acid, medium to firm, chewy and somewhat astringent tannins through the long finish. Mature now, it should keep through 2020+. 2013 Lisa Perotti-Brown MW vertical tasting
| SRF 0007 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $596 |
MUSEUM RELEASE - RP97 - The 2008 Hill of Grace Shiraz is just looking so svelte and fine. The wine is elegant and spicy and super fine, and it leads with fresh leather and star anise, bay leaf, tobacco, curry leaf, cocoa and peppercorns that all twist and swirl through the bouquet. In the mouth, the tannins have evolved to a state of pure repose—seamless and fine, they flow and carry the Satsuma plum fruit along with it. This 2008 makes a very strong case for cellaring your wine for some time prior to drinking it. If you have the means, I would recommend buying some of this vintage (maybe solo, maybe with friends) and drinking a bottle. Experience the evolution of tannin and fruit. It's a wonder. It's a lovely wine, re-released into the wild. Lucky us. This has decades to go. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under Vinolok. 2024 Erin Larkin tasting
| XBW 3611 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $879 | |
| XBW 3612 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $879 | |
| XBW 3608 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $879 |
THUNDERING DISPLAY - RP96 - The 2017 Hill of Grace Shiraz offers notes of blueberry skin, crushed granite, essene of cassis, blackcurrant pastille, black tea, hung deli meat, white truffle and mushroom. It is inky, intense, black and dark, with seemingly endless length. The palate is initially sweet, with a real "bottom of the pot" jasmine tea bitterness to the tannins, however, this remains ajunct to the nose, which is decidedly savory. What is clear, is that the old vines shine through the conditions of the vintage; they shine through the hand of Stephen, and they show a density and solidity of texture that young vines achieve through so few hands. This wine was perhaps a touch meatier (not chunky, literally referring to meat/pastrami/deli meats) and more savory than expected. However, it remains a thundering display of line, length and complexity.
| XBW 3607 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1699 |
GREATEST GRACE? - JH99 - The 60th anniversary of what is widely considered Australia's finest single-vineyard wine. Sometimes you've got to pinch yourself and ponder what a lucky existence this wine hack stuff is, sitting here in the Henschke cellar door having just tasted 26 vintages of Hill of Grace spanning back to 1958. Grace by name, grace by nature, it is an elegant, beautiful wine, tannin–acid architecture on point, the fruit depth is just stunning, dotted with five-spice, sage, pepper, charcuterie, crushed quartz and the most lovely, kinetic tannin structure. Finishes with great sustain, harmony and grace. Voluminous and complex, with amazing fruit density and just a complete wine. A classic!
RP98 -The Hill of Grace vineyard, in Eden Valley, comprises 13 separate blocks, six of which feed into the Hill of Grace Shiraz. The oldest block (0.56 hectares), known as "Grandfathers," was planted around 1860. The other blocks were planted in 1910 (0.33 hectares), 1951 (1.08 hectares), 1952 (0.7 hectares), 1956 (0.88 hectares) and 1965 (0.57 hectares). The 2018 Hill of Grace Shiraz was matured in a combination of new (20%) and seasoned (80%) oak hogsheads (83% French, 17% American) for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. On the nose, the 2018 vintage assists this wine in speaking clearly of its regional location: raspberry and licorice, coal dust, black tea and tobacco leaf. There are inflections of black truffle and bone broth, which always seem to emerge, however the wine is brighter and more focused than I have seen. It offers a beautiful, svelte display of fruit and tannin, with all things in harmony in the mouth. This is very long, as we would expect from the pedigree of this wine and the vineyard. It is concentrated and intense, sinewy, elegant and powerful—a wine for the future generation.
| ACC 15965 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $749 | |
| ACC 15966 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $749 | |
| ACC 15967 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $749 | |
| ACC 16426 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $749 |
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 16640 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $841 | |
| ACC 16641 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $841 | |
| ACC 16642 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $841 |
HIGHEST ORDER - 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.
| SAR 0001 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $100 | |
| XLE 1046 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $329 | |
| XLE 1047 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $329 | |
| XLE 1048 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $329 |
TOP MEURSAULT - JH96 - Generous of flavour and texture, imparted by Leeuwin's stamp of extended skin contact, an approach that demands impeccably ripe fruit. And so it is. White peach and nectarine notes are strung pitch perfect across scales of clotted cream oak and juicy acidity. Long and pliant. Each piece of the jigsaw is in perfect synchronicity. A pedigreed wine boasting an impressive track record. I have had older vintages reminiscent of top Meursault.
| ACC 14983 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $154 | |
| XLE 1049 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $189 | |
| XLE 1050 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $189 | |
| XLE 1051 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $189 |
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
| XLE 1052 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $169 | |
| XLE 1053 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $169 | |
| XLE 1054 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $169 |
INCREDIBLE POISE & LAYERING - JH96 - From 51yo vines, 88/8/4% cabernet sauvignon/petit verdot/cabernet franc. Matured for 29 months in French oak (15% new). The 2017 vintage is responsible for cabernets of incredible poise and layering. This is not a thundering power piece, rather an intricately detailed and mesmerising wine, with fine folds of flavour: bay leaf, raspberry, star anise, sage, hints of fennel, pomegranate and pink peppercorn. This is pure, floral, pretty, and very long. Moss Wood has proven its capability for graceful ageing and this will be no exception.
| HKW 3604 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $100 |
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.
| MEM 0035 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MEM 0036 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MEM 0037 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MEM 0038 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MEM 0039 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 | |
| MEM 0040 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
GREATNESS - JH98 - Pulsating with sweet fruits and velvety mouthfeel, it only takes a split second for this wine to establish its greatness in the pantheon of cabernet sauvignons grown around the world. The unusual decision to include 7% petit verdot picked at 15.2Ëš baume (cropped more heavily than the cabernet and picked over a week later) doubtless played its part, but its synergy with the cabernet (and a soupçon of 3% cabernet franc) must have given much pleasure and justified pride. Nature being what it is, the cabernet sauvignon yield was 40% down at 4.5t/ha. All in all, though, this is a cabernet to melt a pinot noir addict's heart.
| MEM 0034 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
QUINTESENCE - 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.
| MIC 0099 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 | |
| MIC 0100 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 |
BABY GRANGE 60th BIRTHDAY BONUS
| NIK 0202 | 1 BOTTLE Mid shoulder, label damage, corroded & damage capsule | Current Bid: $801 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0146 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine 2010 Clinic & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $800 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0148 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2016 & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $560 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| TAP 0007 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2000/2001, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $304 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2035 Medium-deep crimson. Intense cola and cassis aromas with herb garden notes and tobacco nuances. A fresh and dynamic wine with cassis, blackcurrant and cedar-roasted walnut notes, plentiful grainy/slight leafy tannins and underlying mocha complexity. Finishes leafy firm and minerally. “Smoky meaty aromas, cherry liqueur notes and pronounced tannins.” (JR) “A burly expression with restrained blackcurrant fruit, plenty of sandalwood notes and surprisingly grippy tannins.” (FW)
| LAR 0003 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $86 |
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.
| JOE 0024 | 1 BOTTLE Slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $680 | |
| JOE 0025 | 1 BOTTLE Slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $680 | |
| JOE 0026 | 1 BOTTLE Slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $680 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0441 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2004 | Current Bid: $1440 |
FORTY YEARS - CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0128 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2012, severe label damage | Current Bid: $360 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0390 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2014 | Current Bid: $400 |
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: $3200 |
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)
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0340 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2016 | Current Bid: $5040 |
PENFOLDS INTERVENTION - Buy with confidence - Replacement capsule – Red Zinc embossed PENFOLDS GRANGE HERMITAGE (post 1985) – “likely” a Penfolds Museum Cellar release – “likely” recorked – NOT a Penfolds recorking clinic graduate (first in 1991) – NO certification back label
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0384 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label, Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2018 | Current Bid: $3200 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0161 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2018, & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $2000 | |
| STO 0155 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2012, slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $1862 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0437 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2008, slightly stained label | Current Bid: $1600 | |
| NIK 0438 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2018, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $1600 |
A LEGEND - AWESOME - 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!
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| KRY 0002 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2006, slight label damage | Current Bid: $760 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2040 - Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate, blackberry shellac, hazelnut and herb garden aromas with cola, dust and graphite notes. Inky textured but substantial with developed dark chocolate, blackberry, hazelnut and crème brûlée flavours and red liquorice notes. Plentiful fine lacy textures, attractive inky complexity and extra-fine acidity. Finishes chalky with apricot and graphite notes. 94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). “Powerful and expressive with smoky dried cherry, blueberry, espresso aromas, superb richness, spicy sweet oak notes and fine persistent tannins.” (JR) “Lovely lifted spice nose and a graceful elegant palate with many layers of spice cake, mulberry, coffee and cocoa.” (FW)
| NIK 0122 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2006 & label damage | Current Bid: $640 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0395 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2004 | Current Bid: $800 | |
| NIK 0396 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2014 | Current Bid: $800 |
HIGHLY COLLECTABLE SPECIMEN - Label level and capsule all in very fine original condition
| NIK 0382 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $8000 |
| RUC 0008 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $80 |
PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2035 Medium-deep crimson. Redcurrant, plum, blackberry and boysenberry aromas with espresso and toast notes. Concentrated redcurrant, plum and blackberry fruits, fine and plentiful ripe tannins, roasted walnut, chestnut complexity and integrated linear acidity. Well-balanced wine with demi-glace aged notes. “A giant step for RWT where it shows stylish fruit, lovely balance, and elegant cedar complexity. The confidence and generosity of flavours will continue to build.” (JH) “Four-square, yet broad in structure with plenty of sweet fruit flavours and seamless oak integration.” (FW)
| 991 0004 | 1 MAGNUM Slight label damage | Current Bid: $340 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0429 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2010, slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $1400 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| STO 0152 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds re-corking Clinic 1997, very high shoulder, slight cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $357 |
THE DAWN OF WINE - Dreams and destiny swirl the bountious vineyards of Barossa
| NIK 0398 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $280 | |
| NIK 0399 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $280 |
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN - Rare and wonderful original box of 1998 - Super Rare, old BP 1998 Magnum
| NIK 0245 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $481 | |
| NIK 0394 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $240 |
AGE OF AQUARIUS - Begins the time of sharing and Kibbutz Krondorf - Super Rare, old BP Magnum
| NIK 0409 | 1 MAGNUM | Current Bid: $481 |
AGE OF AQUARIUS - The time of sharing and Kibbutz Krondorf - Super Rare, old BP
| NIK 0465 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $192 |
TAKEN FULL ADVANTAGE - JH96 - A complete Barossa traditional shiraz; moderate alcohol, oak and tannins, yet full of flavour and character. Has taken full advantage of a very good vintage. In its own-branded, high-shouldered brown bottle.
| NIK 0468 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $176 | |
| 303 0199 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $208 |
ELEGANT - JH90 - Mid-garnet; surprisingly elegant and light-bodied; has good flavour and length, but seems a fraction under-ripe; better than the other extreme.
| NIK 0469 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $176 | |
| NIK 0401 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $200 |
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.
| NIK 0470 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $176 |
LAID BACK - JH92 - Good hue; made in the usual laid back Rockford style, deliberately traditional and thus a true reflection of the vintage conditions that invest the wine with some briary characters needing time to soften.
| NIK 0471 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $180 | |
| NIK 0412 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $180 |
PERFECT BALANCE & STRUCTURE - JH95 - Strong red-purple; right in the mainstream of the Rockford Basket Press style, with blackberry, plum and a hint of mocha driving the bouquet, and the smooth, supple palate; you absolutely know the wine is idling along, unused power under the bonnet; perfect balance and structure.
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.
ARMCHAIR RIDE - 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.
| NIK 0473 | 1 BOTTLE Label damage | Current Bid: $176 | |
| NIK 0416 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $184 |
ELEGANT - 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.
| NIK 0474 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $144 |
GREAT CLASSIC - GREAT VINTAGE - 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.
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 |
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN - Rare and wonderful original unopened box of 2016 - First of the Lost to Fame vintages - 2015 Last Halliday review
| NIK 0422 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 | |
| GIL 0007 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $140 |
LOST TO FAME - I do my little turn on the catwalk - Dont need ratings
| CHI 0001 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 | |
| CHI 0002 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 | |
| CHI 0003 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $120 |
LOST TO FAME - Too sexy for Milan, New York & Japan - Dont need ratings
LOST TO FAME - I do my little turn on the catwalk - Dont need ratings
| MIC 0104 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| MIC 0105 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $159 | |
| 303 0147 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $144 | |
| 303 0148 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $144 | |
| 303 0149 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $144 | |
| GIL 0009 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $144 |
CURRENT RELEASE - By "Hook or by Crook" - Do what's needed to get yours
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0404 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
SVS - RFR - Rockford for Royalty - Super Rare - Super Special - Too elite for common folk
| NIK 0402 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $360 | |
| 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: $280 |
FABULOUS 40 AT A THREE RING CIRCUS - Too much in this bottle of just one occassion - be prepared to be dazzled, amazed and humbled by the Seppelt Show - Truly, The greates show on Earth!
| NIK 0366 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $144 |
GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH - 30th Birthday tribute - Storied Legend that will silence the silliest snob and hush the most esteemed critic - True Hommage - The heart and soul of the Greatest Australian wines
| GGR 0196 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $174 |
VERY ATTRACTIVE - RP95 - The fruit for the Les Amis Grenache is from the Slade vineyard, planted in the 1960s. The wine was matured for 24 months in French barriques (40% new). The 2020 Les Amis Grenache is savory, resinous, structural and firm. The core of red fruit remains protected, but it is clear that there is a long future for this wine that is obvious from now, and it will only evolve over time. Clove bud through the finish leaves a cooling, mineral feel in the mouth. This is very big, but very good. It is polished, and the tannins have a gritty chew to them, which is very attractive.
| XTO 0303 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $128 | |
| XTO 0266 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $128 | |
| XTO 0243 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $128 |
SO SATISFYING - 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+.
| XTO 0544 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $280 | |
| XTO 0545 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $280 | |
| XTO 0542 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $280 | |
| XTO 0543 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $280 |
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.
| XTO 0547 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $272 | |
| XTO 0557 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $272 | |
| XTO 0546 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $272 | |
| XTO 0556 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $272 |
COMPLETE 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 LENGTH & ELEGANCE - 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.
| XTO 0581 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $240 | |
| XTO 0582 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $240 | |
| XTO 0583 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $240 | |
| XTO 0585 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $240 |
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.
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: $452 |
CLASS - RP97+ - Tasting the RunRig beside the Descendant is always a wise move, in order to gain some contextual understanding of how they are similar and, perhaps more importantly, how they differ. This 2020 RunRig was sourced from six different vineyards across Barossa (in Lyndoch, Rowland Flat, Moppa, Ebenezer, Light Pass and Greenock) and includes a 2% "dosage" (as winemaker Ian Hongell described it) of Viognier. Matured for 30 months in a combination of new French oak (50%) and second and third fill barrels, the wine rests on its lees for that time. The lower percentage of Viognier here is a seductive and effective thing, adding just enough slick and polish to make this the sybaritic wine that it is, but little enough to allow the grunt, grit and muscle of the Shiraz from all those glorious locations to shine through. Despite the very long time in oak, the wine is balanced and excellent, big in almost every possible way but with an undeniable sense of class and length of flavor. Executed with detail and precision, this wine is clearly defined in its expression of house style.
| XTO 0594 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $202 | |
| XTO 0595 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $202 | |
| XTO 0599 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $202 |
CLASSIC - RP96 - The 2020 The Factor is 100% Shiraz and made up of fruit from Gomersal, Krondorf, Marananga and Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley. The wine was matured for 24 months in a combination of new (40%) and seasoned French oak barriques. In the glass, the wine verges on black, and the nose echoes this abyss-like shade. Blackberry, blood plum, black cherry, licorice, campfire embers, cocoa dust, clove, iodine, vanilla pod and red dirt—this is the core of the wine, the beating heart. The tannins, like a skeleton that protects it, are velvety, plush and structural. Like a skeleton, the tannins are entrenched in the fruit, concealed by a skin of flavor. This is a sybaritic, superstar wine that reflects the warm, concentrated, dry, low-yielding vintage from whence it came. This is classic, polished, midnight Torbreck here.
| XTO 0537 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $95 | |
| XTO 0538 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $95 | |
| XTO 0539 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $95 |
BURY THIS - JH97 - While I enjoy the open-knit approaches to crafting semillon across the region, this remains the bulletproof benchmark. Even here, there have been endeavours toward greater accessibility, with some lees inflection. A meld of the finest dry-grown plots conferring a carapace of talc, sandy mineral and effusive acidity that is, to be frank, indomitable. Descriptives, ineffable. The length, justifiable. Bury this.
MARVELOUS MYSTERY - Strong Victorian vintage - Who knows?
| EIL 0651 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $88 |
GOD GIVEN - JH96 - A 68/32% blend from the 1975 Central, 1920 Eastern and 1989 Western Vineyards. While the weight of the wine is still within the medium-bodied framework all four wines enjoy, the aromas and flavours are wonderfully juicy. For close on a century, the symbolic link between cabernet and malbec expresses itself in unique fashion in this God-given secluded corner of the Clare Valley.
| EIL 0814 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $86 | |
| EIL 0815 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $86 | |
| EIL 0816 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $86 |
INTOXICATING, HARMONIOUS - RP96 - The 2017 Shiraz boasts beautiful scents of vanilla-accented blackberries and raspberries on the nose. It's an intoxicating, harmonious wine, with those swirls of flavor combining on the silky-textured palate and lingering on the finish, joined by hints of espresso and dark chocolate. This is the ripest-tasting and least herbal of the estate's offerings, it's still only 13.7% alcohol.
| EIL 0820 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | |
| EIL 0821 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 | |
| EIL 0822 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $132 |
SO MANY QUESTIONS - 2015 Cab Malbec JH95 - 2015 Shiraz Matero JH97 - 2015 Shiraz JH98 - 2015 Shiraz Malbec NO JH score - WHY?
| NIK 0261 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $82 | |
| NIK 0262 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 | |
| NIK 0263 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $80 |
SILKY & ELEGANT - RP93 - The lightest-bodied of the new releases, Wendouree's 2017 Shiraz Mataro features delicate floral and herbal aromas set against a backdrop of red berries. It's medium-bodied, silky and elegant, delivering tart raspberry and wild strawberry flavors without any hardness, just persistent waves of gentle texture.
| EIL 0804 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $76 |
FABULOUS 60 - Classic ICON- Heavy lifter of the Ages - Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is, and always has been, the Oz Cab benchmark
| NIK 0351 | 1 BOTTLE High shoulder, label damage | Current Bid: $320 |
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: $212 |
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 3521 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $199 | |
| XBW 3522 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $199 | |
| XBW 3520 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $199 |
MISTAKEN FOR MAGIC - RP97 - The NV Único Reserva Especial 2023 Release is a blend produced with vintages 2009, 2011 and 2012, in search of a house style. It's a blend of Tinto Fino with some Cabernet Sauvignon with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.85 and 5.2 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter of wine); so, it's a slightly lighter version of Reserva Especial. When in theory they used three warm, ripe and powerful vintages, the blend is not excessively powerful, but the longer élevage has polished that power and delivered a classical and proportioned wine, aromatic, spicy, with the Vega nose and a velvety palate with very fine tannins and great elegance. 18,318 bottles and 233 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2019.
| XNE 1444 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1019 | |
| XNE 1442 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1019 | |
| XNE 1443 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $1019 |
ONE OF THE GREAT WINES OF THE VINTAGE - RP95+ The Isole e Olena 2017 Cepparello is one of the great Sangiovese-based wines of the vintage. From a growing season that was challenging for almost everyone in Italy, this wine sails through, pushed by a profound sense of varietal purity. This dark, mid-weight red reveals lifted tones of cherry, wild rose, rosemary essence, toasted almond and potting soil. These components come together with seamless transitions and a polished finish. The tannins are elegant and integrated. The wine defies the expectations of the vintage.
| ACC 10075 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $124 | |
| ACC 10158 | 1 MAGNUM BOXED | Current Bid: $249 |
UNIQUE IDENTITY - 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.
| XSA 2230 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $144 | |
| XSA 2229 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $144 | |
| XSA 2228 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $144 |
ICON - RP97+ - One of the icon wines of Tuscany, the Isole e Olena 2019 Cepparello is all Sangiovese crafted by the loving hands of a winemaking legend, the great Paolo De Marchi (who finalized the sale of his beloved estate when this wine hit the market). Indeed, this wine opens a discussion on the future of this celebrated IGT Toscana, a wine that followed a strict vision and style under De Marchi. It is elegant and rich with fine aromas of black and purple fruit. It ferments in oak and ages in French barrique for 20 months, with one-third new oak. With 58,000 bottles released, this is a sure candidate for long cellar aging.
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.
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 1355 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 | |
| XNE 1354 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 | |
| XNE 1353 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $809 |
IMPOSSIBLE TO SPIT - RP99 - The wine of the vintage is the Perrin’s 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, and it will most likely merit a perfect rating in another couple of years. Full-bodied, massive and layered on the palate, with awesome purity and freshness, it delivers incredible aromatics of beef blood, truffle, graphite, iron and black and blue fruits. Given all of the fruit and texture, you almost have to hunt for the structure here, but trust me, it’s there. The tasting at Beaucastel took place a 9 a.m., and even then, this is one wine I found impossible to spit. It’s a tour de force that will have 3-4 decades of life.
| XNE 0605 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 |
HOMMAGE - RP96+ The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a beast of a wine that’s shed most of the baby fat it showed from barrel. A normal blend of 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the rest Syrah and Counoise, this tiny production release has incredible minerality to go with searing black and blue fruits, forest floor, smoked earth and leather. Full-bodied, inky, concentrated and backwards with a serious kick of tannin, it will need a decade of cellaring to be approachable. I suspect it will have 2-3 decades of longevity
| ACC 10638 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $739 | |
| XNE 0608 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0607 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0606 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 |
SHOCKINGLY CONCENTRATED - RP94-96 - Probably the wine of the vintage (I feel like I say that every year for this cuvee), the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is a substantial, full-bodied, shockingly concentrated 2014 that gives up classic notes of blackberries, blueberries, forest floor, beef blood and licorice. Mouth-coating and rich with building tannin, it will be approachable at an earlier age than most vintages, yet will still need 5-6 years of cellaring.
| XNE 0609 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0610 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $749 | |
| XNE 0611 | 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 0614 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $814 | |
| XNE 0615 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $814 | |
| XNE 0612 | 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 0618 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 | |
| XNE 0616 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 | |
| XNE 0617 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $924 |
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: $1112 |
WONDERFUL - RP94 - Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Palmer was wonderful out of barrel ten years ago and now in bottle, it fulfills its promise with a stunning, precise bouquet of maraschino, iodine, cassis and tobacco scents that seem a few years younger than its Margaux peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin that cloak its sweet core of cassis and blackcurrant fruit. However, what is so striking is the fineness of the tannin and just how well that oak is subsumed into the fabric of the wine. This is a long-term proposition: a great Margaux from Thomas Duroux. Tasted January 2016.
| 131 0078 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $560 |
DEEP, UNCTUOUSLY TEXTURED - RP97 - It is hard to call Petrus a “sleeper of the vintage,” but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years.
| MIR 0299 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $4929 | |
| MIR 0300 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $4929 | |
| MIR 0301 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $4929 | |
| MIR 0302 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $4929 |
FINE IF RATHER BURLY - RP91 - Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Pichon Baron has more red than black fruit on the nose, quite showy with hints of crème de cassis and then later it calms down to reveal classic pencil lead aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth. This is quite assertive and grippy, although later vintages have evinced more precision and mineralité on the finish. Still, this is a fine if rather burly Pichon Baron. Tasted January 2016.
| 131 0079 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $232 | |
| 131 0080 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $232 |
HARMONOUS & TENSILE - RP94 - Tasted at the property, the 2006 Château Pichon-Lalande has a voluminous bouquet with outgoing blackberry, cassis and violets scents, a touch of boysenberry jam tucked just underneath, although it does not quite have the delineation of the Lynch Bages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This feels very composed in the mouth, quite fresh with well-judged acidity, harmonious and tensile on the finish. This deserves a higher score than I awarded out of barrel and it continues to improve year by year. Tasted April 2016.
| 131 0085 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $472 | |
| 131 0086 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $472 |
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