Issue: 32 / Sunday 15 July, 2018
We are thrilled to be awarded
IWC 2018
Australian Specialist
Merchant of the Year
Tuesday 10 July the team and I attended the IWC Merchant Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London as we were shortlisted for two awards. We came away with one, the all-important one, Australian Specialist Merchant of the Year, which we are utterly thrilled with. The competition was incredibly stiff with Liberty Wines, previous winners of the same award, also nominated. We are hugely appreciative for the recognition received from the IWC judging panel as we have put in an enormous amount of hard work to build such a strong Australian brand and following. We thank Peter McCombie MW, Charles Metcalfe, Laura Jewell MW, Spencer Hyman and Robin Copestick for this fantastic award. In many ways this award is shared with you all. Without you, our loyal customers who appreciate great Australian wines, this award would not have been possible. The team and I have received many emails congratulating us on our award from our customers, our producers and a lovely email from Wine Australia who believe our award was “well deserved”. On behalf of my team and I, may I say a huge thank you to each one of you for your marvellous support.
I must also say another thank you for all the orders we received last week. The range in our mini-sale was modest however, the wines and their prices spectacular which led to the busiest picking, packing and despatching day on record.
Many of the Hardy’s museum wines have either sold-out or are very close to, including the excellent ’95 Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon. A few bottles of the 2010 Eileen Pinot Noir, ’98 & ’02 Eileen Shiraz remain.
For me, the standout wine must be Henry’s Drive ’02 Cabernet Sauvignon, which I have a fondness for. A mere £7.95 provides very impressive drinking. There is a typical Pauillac nose of cedar wood, pencil lead and cigar-box. Lots of new saddle leather too. The palate is very elegant, beautifully balanced with slightly dusty tannins – the texture smooth and sensuous. This is Cabernet Sauvignon which offers sophisticated drinking pleasure. Still impressive and never fails to put a smile on my face (and those of several Oz winemakers who have taken a bottle whilst visiting). A stupendous wine showing all the hallmarks of a mature Claret. Just a joy. Purchase, leave for a few days for the sediment to settle, decant for 1-2 hours and enjoy.
The remainder of our sale wines continue to be discounted until 9:00am Monday 23 July.
Cheers,
Stu
Watershed Awakening
Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
£45.95 per bottle
Limited to 6 bottles per customer
7 Trophies including Perth Royal Best Cabernet, Best Wine of Show, Best Red Table Wine, Best Western Australian Wine, Best Western Australian Red, Best of 2010 & Canberra National, multi Gold Medals Mundus Vini, Qantas Wine Show, Margaret River and Canberra National firmly places Watershed’s 2010 Awakening Cabernet Sauvignon amongst Australia’s select elite.
98-99 Points Stuart McCloskey “A magical Cabernet Sauvignon which conquers all the senses. Utterly refined, complex wine offering notes of blackberry, violets, crème de cassis laced together with mineral notes. Silky and seamless with ripe fruit gliding across your palate with phenomenal balance and purity. Elegant but with a real sense of energy. The wines pedigree and overall class simply cannot be denied. A truly great wine which will age effortlessly for one to two decades, however there is no reason to delay your enjoyment. There’s not much more I can say than customers lucky enough to enjoy the 2010 will know it right away. What a superb wine this is. Decanted for 3 hours and served in Zalto Bordeaux glassware”.
98 Points James Halliday Top 100 2017 "Swept all before it in '12 with seven trophies and six gold medals, and hasn't lost the vibrancy of its youth. It is not a powerhouse, rather it is elegant, medium-bodied and very long, its cassis fruit delicately framed by tannins woven through high quality French oak."
We welcome Hentley Farm’s new line-up, several released to The Vinorium as a world exclusive. We have long admired Keith Henschke’s work and philosophy as a ‘winegrower’ above all else, with all winemaking accentuating characteristics of the vineyard from vine to bottle.
As a single block, single vineyard winery Hentley Farm focuses on producing wines which highlight microclimates within its winery, basket pressing the red wines to compliment the softness of fruit. The vintage is, in my opinion, their best to date. Barossa wines can lack vitality and freshness however, Keith’s and Andrew Quin’s (The Winemaker) entire line-up is blessed with incredibly pure, ripe fruit all underpinned by judicious use of oak and perfect freshness / acidity.
All wines have arrived and are ready to be dispatched by the bottle…
Give one or two a try as they are truthfully world class.
2015 Hentley Farm
Clos Otto Shiraz
Opulence, complexity and balance all come to mind when thinking about the Clos Otto Shiraz... With vines planted by previous owner Otto Kasper using a cutting from an ageing and secret Shiraz clone, and tended to with almost antique machinery and a well-practiced hand, the Clos Otto vineyard consistently yields super low quantities with ultra-rich flavours.
97 Points - James Halliday "Individual estate parcels, machine-harvested, destemmed and crushed, open-fermented with cultured yeast, 8 days on skins, matured in French oak (70% new) for 22 months, blended after 6 months in oak. An exotic bouquet with new shoe leather and a sprinkle of sultry spices, the full-bodied palate with supple blackberry fruits to the fore and an underlay of integrated French oak. There is a finesse to the overall texture, structure and flavour that is remarkable."
£122.50 per bottle
2015 Hentley Farm
H Block Shiraz Cabernet
On the banks of the Greenock Creek, Otto Kasper planted a single block with two cabernet parcels and a shiraz parcel sitting side by side and thus created the perfect opportunity to make a single block of the great Australian blend, Shiraz and Cabernet. Effectively a blend of Clos Otto and Von Kasper.
97 Points - James Halliday "A 67/33% blend, fermented separately, 9 days on skins, matured for 22 months in French oak (50% new), blended after 6 months in oak. As expected, a very complex wine, the complexity primarily coming from the duel between blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, oak a second for both parties. So yes, oak is obvious, yet integrated, and impossible to dislike. The tannins are impeccable in usual Hentley Farm style, and when you wrap it all up, it's irresistible."
£115.95 per bottle
2015 Hentley Farm
The Creation Shiraz
* Only World Stockist *
Each year the winemaker, Andrew Quin, creates a small production and members only single-block wine that he feels best exemplifies the influence of their unique and diverse site conditions in that particular vintage, this is his creation.
96 Points - James Halliday "Made in the same way as Clos Otto other than 9 days on skins and maturation in American oak (50% new). The American oak is much more assertive than French, its signal soaring on the first whiff, likewise the first sip. It works well here, tipping its hat to Grange, the flavours coating every corner of the mouth, yet doesn't overstay its welcome. And it pays no attention whatsoever to its alcohol."
£115.95 per bottle
2015 Hentley Farm
von Kasper Cabernet
* Only World Stockist *
Great Barossan cabernets come from rare and special sites... Sites where the land is flat, the air is cool, the soils are deep and the vines are protected from the afternoon sun, just like the one on which the fruit for the von Kasper is grown. Named in honour of Otto Kasper who had the foresight to plant this Cabernet in just the right spot, 20 years ago.
95 Points - James Halliday "Parcels of fruit are separately fermented and taken to barrel for mlf and 6 months maturation before blending and returned to oak for a further 18 months maturation in French oak (30% new). Deep, bright colour; an ultra-powerful, full-bodied cabernet sauvignon in bold Barossa Valley style. Given the fresh, easy to drink now other wines from Hentley Farm, it shouldn't be hard to keep your hands off this for 5+++ years."
£62.50 per bottle
2015 Hentley Farm
The Quintessential Shiraz Cabernet
The Quintessential pays homage to the Quintessential Australian blend which put Australia on the world wine map many years ago - “Claret” or more typically Shiraz Cabernet blends.
97 Points, Star for Special Value - James Halliday "A 60/40% blend, destemmed and crushed, 70% with 35 days on skins, 30% 8 days on skins, matured in French oak (30% new) for 12 months. The blackcurrant/cassis/herb notes of the cabernet unexpectedly come out on top of the blackberry and plum of the shiraz. This medium-bodied wine has been carefully handled in the winery during both the fermentation and maturation phases, emerging with absolutely perfect balance."
£44.50 per bottle
2016 Hentley Farm
The Beauty Shiraz
The Beauty is grown on the coolest block on the property and co-fermented with a touch of Viognier, the wine displays complex lifted aromatics, along with the softness and subtlety and elegance befitting a wine of this name.
Peach, apricot and florals provide the lift while surrounded by blue and red fruits, white pepper and peaty earth sitting further in the background. This complex combination of flavours continues onto the palate with the blue/red fruits playing the leading role. Bright acid and tannin drive provide great focus down the middle, bright fruits providing the framework. Soft, expressive and complex. Enjoy now or in the next 15-20 years.
£43.00 per bottle
2016 Hentley Farm
The Old Legend Grenache
The Old Legend signifies some of the oldest vines and varietal clones that have been growing in the Barossa for over 150 years. Grenache is mistakenly underrated but is indeed an old legend of the region.
96 Points, Star for Special Value - James Halliday "Estate-grown, 15% picked early with a large percentage of whole bunches in the ferment adding plush fruit and vibrancy, 60% spent 40 days on skins for earth, spice and tannins; 20% was picked late in the season providing richness and colour. As intended, the result is a rich and powerful wine with texture and structure to burn. Closer to traditional style, but without confection. Will be long lived."
£43.00 per bottle
95 Points, Star for Special Value - James Halliday "There's no magic in this wine other than the very high quality of the grapes (and the low price). The colour is typical Hentley Farm, deep, but with a vivid crimson-purple rim; the expressive black fruits bouquet and the medium to full-bodied, richly textured palate following the same path. The blackberry essence flavours are intense and luscious, bright and fresh."
£23.50 per bottle
2016 Hentley Farm
The Marl Grenache
96 Points, Star for Special Value - James Halliday "You see the attention to detail with this wine: 94% on skins for 6 days, 6% for 52 days, all picking batches kept separate, matured in used oak for 7 months. This is space age Barossa Valley grenache, showing it is possible to make great wine at 13.5% alcohol without any confection/Turkish delight characters, just a delicious flower vase collection of red fruits. Big time bargain."
£15.95 per bottle
Just arrived from Bordeaux
& available by the bottle…
Château Eglise Clinet’s second wine which is an affordable insight into the great wine of Eglise Clinet.” This pure merlot is so wonderful to taste now with violet, berry and chocolate character. It's full-bodied yet in check and balanced. Lovely, enticing finish” -
95 Points James Suckling
£41.95 per bottle
2015 Château Les Cruzelles
“This has really blossomed in barrel and frankly, it shows up a lot of Pomerol crus this vintage. Factor in the price that this was released en primeur and if you do not have a case in your cellar, well, too bad!” - Neal Martin
£26.00 per bottle
“The 2015 La Chenade, which was so impressive from barrel, has retained that gorgeous, pure bouquet that is floral in style, still with that candied tincture. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent red berry fruit, touches of Early Grey and a sweet, candied finish that lingers nicely in the mouth. Just plain delicious” - Neal Martin
£18.50 per bottle
“The 2015 Montlandrie was precocious out of barrel but now it has learned some manners and blossomed into a more refined and sophisticated Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, the 45% new oak beautifully assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, perfectly pitched acidity, a little savory and dried blood surfacing toward the finish to complete a glorious wine that fulfills its promise from barrel” - Neal Martin
£23.95 per bottle
2015 Blanc de Doisy Deane
“The 2015 Blanc Sec from Doisy Daene has a crisp and vibrant bouquet with citrus fruit, yellow flowers and light granite-like aromas, all very focused and conveying a sense of energy. The palate is well balanced with a touch of rosewater on the entry, quite saline toward the finish with a touch of bitter lemon. This is such a fascinating dry white Sauternes. A superb wine” - Neal Martin
£19.95 per bottle
Clos des Lunes Lune d’Argent 2016 Double Magnum
(Individually numbered: 81-97 of 100)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Lune d'Argent is a blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It has a simple pear and beeswax-scented bouquet that demanded some coaxing from the glass. The palate is well balanced, but to me does not quite possess the complexity and bite of the 2015 Lune d'Argent. It has satisfying freshness.; 2018 - 2022
2015 Château Doisy Védrines Half
“Dried honey, apricot, acacia and a touch of melted wax on the nose. I admire the delineation and intensity here. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, viscous in texture with honey, mango and quince toward the finish that feels more linear and perhaps more focused than some of the wines a decade ago. Great potential”. - Neal Martin
£17.95 per half bottle
What do Aussies Collect
Back Home…?
Established in 1999, Wine Ark is Australia’s largest and most recommended wine storage provider with 16 storage facilities across Australia. Collectively these facilities house over two million bottles. To quote from the Wine Ark press release: “New entries into the top 50 on the list include Giaconda Chardonnay from Beechworth (up 32 places), Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz from VIC (up 33 places) and Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley (up 31 places). The big success story for the year is St Hallett, with their Blackwell Shiraz moving up 44 places from 86 to 41. 12 per cent of the list comprises first time entries showing that new Australian wine is just as worthy of cellaring.”
Most popular wine brand: Penfolds (8 entries)
Most popular wine region:
Barossa (7 entries) with Margaret River, the Clare Valley and
Coonawarra (6 entries each)
Most popular varietal: Shiraz (25 entries)
Most popular state: SA (28 entries)
White vs Red: 9 whites, 41 reds
The most collected Shiraz: Penfolds Grange (number 2)
The most collected Cabernet Shiraz: Penfolds (number 1)
The most collected Cabernet Blend: Lake’s Folly (number 4)
The most collected Cabernet Sauvignon: Moss Wood (number 5)
The most collected Riesling: Grosset Polish Hill (number 9)
The most collected Chardonnay: Leeuwin Estate (number 12)
The most collected Pinot Noir: Mount Mary (number 60)
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