Chalice Bridge 2005 Margaret River Shiraz

Back in August we offered the final stocks of the 2004 Chalice Bridge Margaret River Shiraz. It was a wine that justly deserved rave reviews from Halliday and Hooke. We sold out within 24 hours and most of you who got some emailed me looking for more. It was just that good and an outstanding under $20 red.
We tasted the 2005 at the same time about a week after it was bottled. I don't whether you know about the concept of bottle shock but this was a classic example. A wine you just wouldn't bother with.
We tasted it again last week and it was a different wine - virtually identical to the 2004. A superbly balanced, elegant red that is up there in the $30 category. Highly recommended even though it hasn't won a trophy as far as we know.


Our Price: $18 per bottle by the doz

SOLD OUT

Tyrrell's 2004 Stevens Vineyard Hunter Semilon

FOUR TROPHIES SO FAR!
Tyrrell's cleaned up at the latest Hunter Valley Wine Show which is a regular habit of theirs. They won all sorts of trophies but for me this was the standout both in terms of sheer quality and outstanding value. It won four trophies including the BIG ONE of Best Dry White Wine of the Show. Incidentally previous vintages have won that trophy in 5 of the last 6 years. Which tends to support our view that it is consideraby better value than its Vat 1 big brother and anything else for that matter. If you enjoy Hunter Semillon you can't wrong with it to drink now or cellar.


Our Price: $ 21 per bottle by the doz

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The USB Wine Device

A very clever man I once worked with had the idea for this 7 years ago. If we'd had the money we'd have launched it the day after March 31, 2001.
Now, sadly the French have beat us to it. Thank god for the Rugby!

RRP: $ PRICELESS
Our Price: $

OUT OF STOCK

Deen De Bortoli 2006 Vat 9 Cabernet Sauvignon

Bagpipes, Toukley RSL and a Captivating Cabernet
When Toukley holds a Highland Gathering, they know how to party. Which is how we found ourselves on a recent Saturday night at the glittering Toukley RSL being entertained by the Lithgow City Pipe Band. While most of the lasses and laddies were more than content with whisky and beer I was sent forth to find a bottle of red wine.
Which was how I met Cheryl the barmaid. She was a gem. Not only did she keep a straight face when I asked to see the wine list, she also knew that there were only two bottles of the only possible decent red in the place. She wasn't quite sure where the second bottle was but when I explained there was every possibiity we may require it, she made it her "mission possible" to make sure it woud be ready when we were.
And so it transpired that Toukley RSL ran out of their "premium" red that night and bad luck if they tried to order anymore now. I rang De Bortoli who told me they had 50 dozen left and I said we'd take the lot.

Our Price: $ 9 per bottle by the doz

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Baldivis 2002 Cabernet Shiraz

A lovely dusty 6 year old red.
If you're looking for a bit of age in your cellar this has to be the bargain of the year.

RRP: $13
Our Price: $6 per bottle by the doz

OUT OF STOCK

WA Great Southern 2005 Unlabelled Riesling

Beautifully poised between the exuberance of youth and the grace of maturity this is a wine to enjoy now or whack in the cellar for 10 years.
This offers everything that's great about Oz rieslings at a ridiculous fraction of its true worth. An absolute no-brainer for lovers of this style.

Worth: $15+
Our Price: $6 per bottle by the doz
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Yellow Tail 2008 Pinot Noir

THE MOST PECULIAR $8 PINOT NOIR I'VE EVER TASTED

I was tempted towards describing it as " The Pinot you have when you're not having a Pinot" but I thought that may be a little too disparaging for what is a brilliant budget red. Then again, "peculiar" in a sub head isn't too encouraging despite its accuracy.

I've become a major Pinot Noir convert over the last few years. I love the combination of subtlety and strength, the way this often deceptively pale red can begin with a caress and then powers its way through your palate.

This latest release Pinot Noir under the Yellow Tail label has none of this. It's an "in-your-face", fruit driven red with a deep, impenetrable, quite dazzling colour, lashings of berry,cherry and violet fruit flavour, minimal tannin but enough reassuring acid to support it for far longer than we recommend.

Prima facie this doesn't look like the summer red it really is. It looks like a shiraz, almost tastes likes a cabernet - we suggest you just treat it as a rose with grunt, especially with alcohol just a whisker under 14%. It's a cracker of a quaffable red wine.


RRP: Whatever you see it for in the shops
Our Price: $8 per bottle by the doz

SOLD OUT

Matahiwi 2006 Wairarapa Pinot Noir

We got onto this wine a few years ago courtesy of a Jeff Collerson rave.
He was right and very little has changed - even the price is the same!

Wairarapa is on the North Island of New Zealand, not far from Wellington and the winemaker is the lovely Jane Cooper who I've had the peasure of meeting a couple of times.
These are probably her notes and I've lifted from their website mainly because I love this stuff in terms of all the permutations that can come into play in winemaking. Enjoy:

"The Matahiwi vineyard is planted in several combinations of rootstock and Pinot Noir clones and this Pinot is a blend of some of these - 115, 114, 10/5, 777, Abel and 667, with each adding their own character and complexity. The 2006 vintage was a vintage showing natural low yields of about 1.5-2.0kgs per vine. This has resulted in a final wine with concentration and ideal ripeness.In the winery, the different batches of fruit are processed separately so that we can see the individual characters on their own and we add further complexities by incorporating different techniques and yeast combinations. The grapes are cold soaked for between 5 and 7 days and then fermented at about 28-32C. Depending on the fruit, post ferment time ranges from 3-10 days, before the wine is pressed off.

The wine is then aged partly in tank and partly in barrel for 10 months, undergoing malolactic fermentation, before being blended for bottling in March 2007."

RRP: $25
Our Price: $18 per bottle by the doz

OUT OF STOCK

Aspen Estate 2008 Chardonnay

While there are plenty of cheap chardonnays around we haven't tasted anything as impressive as this at $5. Fruit is more in the citrus spectrum and it has a crisp acidity that takes it well away from the fatter,cloying style.

RRP: $??????
Our Price: $5 per bottle by the doz

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Aspen Estate 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

A clean crisp dry white that offers the best varietal fruit you'll find at this price. Extraordinary value, very well packaged and highly recommended.

RRP: $ ?????
Our Price: $5 per bottle by the doz

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