So, what are your recent acquisitions?

[BrightonCorgi]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:30 PM, Fuzz said:

Those St Henri will go down a treat in years to come.

I picked up some more wines due for export that never left the country. Got some good deals on Killikanoon Oath Cab Sauv and Oath Shiraz and Woodlands Margaret.

The Bec Hardy Pertaringa "Over The Top" Shiraz double magnums were too good to pass up at half price. Also ggt talked into picking some more Le Brun de Neuville and trying the Renzo Masi Chianti Riserva.

 

Never heard of any of those wines 🙁

[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Never heard of any of those wines 🙁

https://kilikanoon.com.au/collections/exclusive-labels/products/2020-oath-shiraz-cabernet

https://kilikanoon.com.au/collections/exclusive-labels/products/2020-oath-shiraz

https://woodlandswines.com.au/product/2017-margaret-cabernet-merlot-malbec/

https://bechardy.com.au/our-wines/pertaringa/over-the-top-shiraz-2019/

I know a little general knowledge about the wineries:

Kilikanoon is a Clare Valley winery, started in the 90s. Recently bought out by a Chinese company (hence why there is a fair amount of export wine currently available). Has been rated as one of Australia's best wineries.

Woodlands, established in the 70s, was one of the first wineries in the Margaret River region.

Bec Hardy is a 6th generation member of the famous Hardy family. Took over from her father Geoff Hardy.

I'm sure Ken can chime in with more in-depth knowledge, as I have only sampled the Woodlands Margaret 2008 (pretty sure it was that vintage, because I remember seeing it on a magazine).

[Ken Gargett]

1 minute ago, Fuzz said:

https://kilikanoon.com.au/collections/exclusive-labels/products/2020-oath-shiraz-cabernet

https://kilikanoon.com.au/collections/exclusive-labels/products/2020-oath-shiraz

https://woodlandswines.com.au/product/2017-margaret-cabernet-merlot-malbec/

https://bechardy.com.au/our-wines/pertaringa/over-the-top-shiraz-2019/

I know a little general knowledge about the wineries:

Kilikanoon is a Clare Valley winery, started in the 90s. Recently bought out by a Chinese company (hence why there is a fair amount of export wine currently available). Has been rated as one of Australia's best wineries.

Woodlands, established in the 70s, was one of the first wineries in the Margaret River region.

Bec Hardy is a 6th generation member of the famous Hardy family. Took over from her father Geoff Hardy.

I'm sure Ken can chime in with more in-depth knowledge, as I have only sampled the Woodlands Margaret 2008 (pretty sure it was that vintage, because I remember seeing it on a magazine).

fuzz, the stuff i have seen for reviews from kilikanoon of late has been excellent. by chance, i have some of their oath series on the tasting bench for later this week - one sure sign is that when the vultures descend for the remaining 3/4s of the bottles post tasting - because no human could hope to drink everything left over - those oath wines are some of the first to go. 

hardys are an extremely famous family in oz - both wine and yachting (numerous america's cup attempts). hard to visit a wine region somewhere around the world without running into a member of the family. i don't know Bec like i know a few others but they know what they have are doing. they should - they have been doing it for most of australia's history.

woodlands is a bit of a cult margaret river winery. an early one but still largely boutique. they have made some of the region's absolute star wines. they have a range so you should do a bit of research or tasting first, but it is rare to hear of anyone disappointed. and many people are on the mailing list and fight tooth and nail for their allocation. can be expensive, in aussie terms. 

[Fuzz]

I've had some of the lower end Kilikanoon before and found them very good. Same goes for the Woodland. The ones recently purchased I've not had, except for a small tasting of the Margaret years ago.

I read somewhere that ever since the Chinese buyout, there has been a bit of a backlash against Kilikanoon from their customers.

[Ken Gargett]

5 hours ago, Fuzz said:

I've had some of the lower end Kilikanoon before and found them very good. Same goes for the Woodland. The ones recently purchased I've not had, except for a small tasting of the Margaret years ago.

I read somewhere that ever since the Chinese buyout, there has been a bit of a backlash against Kilikanoon from their customers.

i'd be surprised if too many really cared about chinese ownership. quality of the wines certainly has not diminished and most people only worry about the quality and the price.

also, how many people really know? perhaps some old stagers on the mailing list but i doubt it enough to make too much of a splash. the bigger problem is that they no doubt intended to sell a considerable percentage in china and that is currently out the window. so good opportunities here. 

[Fuzz]

Definitely some good drops going for a song. I've been picking up a bunch of ex-export wines the last few months. All have been at least 30% off retail, some going for 60% off.

[BrightonCorgi]

Australian wines have dwindled in popularity big time in America over the last 20 years.  Early 2000's they were hot and then faded away. 

[Astar20]

Been a good couple of hauls

[...]

Was gifted this wine, don't think I've ever tasted such an expensive wine (don't know whether the price/quality correlate on this one)...

@Ken Gargett any dinner pairings suggestion? I assume thick steak on the grill but open to suggestions

[Ken Gargett]

18 hours ago, Jeanff said:

Was gifted this wine, don't think I've ever tasted such an expensive wine (don't know whether the price/quality correlate on this one)...

@Ken Gargett any dinner pairings suggestion? I assume thick steak on the grill but open to suggestions

fabulous vintage. if it has been well looked after, should be terrific.from the photo, it looks in immaculate condition. 

i had a quick look on winesearcher, as it is not one i have encountered here, has a bottle for sale in the states at $539. so not cheap!! the reviews seem widely split. wine speccy bagged it but others have obviously loved it. i would imagine those reviews are from more than 20 years ago so would not put too much on them.

steak, game, venison. love too hear what you think. 

[...]

1 hour ago, Ken Gargett said:

fabulous vintage. if it has been well looked after, should be terrific.from the photo, it looks in immaculate condition. 

i had a quick look on winesearcher, as it is not one i have encountered here, has a bottle for sale in the states at $539. so not cheap!! the reviews seem widely split. wine speccy bagged it but others have obviously loved it. i would imagine those reviews are from more than 20 years ago so would not put too much on them.

steak, game, venison. love too hear what you think. 

Thank you for your input Ken, always appreciate your extensive knowledge and experience. Will likely wait for my birthday next May to open it and will report on the experience. Cheers!

[billyh79]

Could be a good weekend if the weather stays warm...

[ChangBang]

1 hour ago, billyh79 said:

Could be a good weekend if the weather stays warm...

Only tried the lagavulin 8 and 16. How do those different editions compare?

[BrightonCorgi]

On 2/28/2022 at 5:42 PM, Jeanff said:

Thank you for your input Ken, always appreciate your extensive knowledge and experience. Will likely wait for my birthday next May to open it and will report on the experience. Cheers!

Let it breathe in the bottle for 90 minutes before serving.  Some of the initial impressions could have a brunt tire smell (bottle stink), but will whiff off.  This is fairly common in older Italian wines

[...]

3 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Let it breathe in the bottle for 90 minutes before serving.  Some of the initial impressions could have a brunt tire smell (bottle stink), but will whiff off.  This is fairly common in older Italian wines

I was thinking I would decant it for 2 hours before serving... would it be preferable to simply leave it in the bottle as you suggest?

[BrightonCorgi]

2 hours ago, Jeanff said:

I was thinking I would decant it for 2 hours before serving... would it be preferable to simply leave it in the bottle as you suggest?

It's fine to pour into a decanter, I would use a single layer of cheese cloth to filter when doing so.

[Goodfortune]

Couple new pickups for the weekend.

[Islandboy]

What a fantastic Gin...my new favorite. Never seen it here before yesterday when I was in Costco, four bottles left on the shelf, quickly looked up a few reviews, grabbed 2 bottles. Glad I did, best tasting Gin I’ve had. 

[Ken Gargett]

On 3/6/2022 at 5:26 AM, BrightonCorgi said:

It's fine to pour into a decanter, I would use a single layer of cheese cloth to filter when doing so.

agree and you could do so well in advance of two hours. if it is a good bottle, won't be a problem. if you don't have cheese cloth, a clean coffee filter can work or if neither, be very careful, do it as slowly as you can, and leave the dregs, or as soon as you start to see sediment, in the bottle. and then let it stand undisturbed. 

[BrightonCorgi]

7 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

agree and you could do so well in advance of two hours. if it is a good bottle, won't be a problem. if you don't have cheese cloth, a clean coffee filter can work or if neither, be very careful, do it as slowly as you can, and leave the dregs, or as soon as you start to see sediment, in the bottle. and then let it stand undisturbed. 

The coffee filter can filter it too much IMO.  If going with a coffee filter, pour the first ounce or two into the coffee filter to catch any initial stuff in the bottle.  Pour 3/4 the bottle right into the decanter and then the last quarter through the coffee filter.

Go to fabric store and buy 3 yards of cheese cloth.  Will be set for quite some time.  Cheese cloth is helpful with cooking as well.

[...]

No worries, we use cheese cloth for bagging game so I always have some around, easy to find at the hardware store.

Birthday is coming soon, will make sure to let you know how it went 🥳

[Shrimpchips]

Found at a local store. No cloudiness or sediment, so I thought why not.  Ended up having very little bubbles, but was fun to have a 32 year old bottle of Perrier Jouet nonetheless.

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, Shrimpchips said:

Found at a local store. No cloudiness or sediment, so I thought why not.  Ended up having very little bubbles, but was fun to have a 32 year old bottle of Perrier Jouet nonetheless.

should have been spectacular. great wine, great vintage. we did a small vertical of them last year back to 1982. wonderful stuff. i would have thought you should still have seen a reasonable level of bubbles even from a 90, but at that age, they all vary a touch. 

 

10 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

should have been spectacular. great wine, great vintage. we did a small vertical of them last year back to 1982. wonderful stuff. i would have thought you should still have seen a reasonable level of bubbles even from a 90, but at that age, they all vary a touch. 

for what it is worth, slightly different label for us. they don't call them fleur de champagne outside the states (not sure canada and other markets that way). for us, Belle Epoque. 

[BrightonCorgi]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:01 PM, Shrimpchips said:

Found at a local store. No cloudiness or sediment, so I thought why not.  Ended up having very little bubbles, but was fun to have a 32 year old bottle of Perrier Jouet nonetheless.

Did the cork pop out or need a little fussing to pop out.  There should've some bubbles.  Did it have an oxidized taste or coppery color?

[Shrimpchips]

6 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Did the cork pop out or need a little fussing to pop out.  There should've some bubbles.  Did it have an oxidized taste or coppery color?

It definitely wasn’t stored properly - just a few faint whisps of bubbles and a coppery color, although it isn’t taste bad.  I wasn’t expecting anything and I wasn’t disappointed. Won’t be going back for another bottle though.