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Boccaccio e-newsletter 1st July ANGUS THE BULL CAB SAUV 07 FREE WAITERS FRIEND ON 6 BOTTLES: IT’S TIME TO GRAB THE BULL BY THE HORNS Hi everyone, Sometimes winery owners and marketing people come
up with some truly wacky ideas. Most often than not, these ideas never get
off the ground, or if they do, fail dismally. One such idea concocted by
Hamish MacGowan many years ago has not only worked, but thrived in such a
tough marketplace. Smart man I reckon. Angas the Bull is a wine that most people love:
it is thick and rich and full of masses of dark fruits. Perfect to snuggle up
to a good piece of meat and if you’re a meat eater, that sounds like a match
made in heaven. To top it off this week, we are offering a waiters friend
free (valued at $15) on every six bottles of Angas the Bull purchased (not
that you will need it for this wine, it is sealed under stelvin!!). Also on offer this week, is the new released and
very highly awaited Cullen Cabernet Merlot 2007 plus some great wines from
Toolangi and Te Mata and a couple of back vintage Rieslings’ Take your time and enjoy this week’s
e-newsletter. Cheers, Anthony D'Anna FREE WAITERS FRIEND
(VALUED AT $15) WITH EVERY SIX BOTTLES OF ANGAS THE BULL PURCHASED Angas The
Bull Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 This is one of the succes stories of Aussie
red wine over recent years, both here and, especially overseas. It's a great
red to drink with steak. This
is the sixth release of Angus and we reckon it's the best yet. It tastes
dusty and blackcurranty - there's a lot of flavour here - but it's tannic and
dry as it leaves your mouth. It's sturdy and satisfying, the way Cabernet
should be. Drink now-2013 92 points, Campbell Mattinson & Gary
Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2009/10 Dark Purple in colour, this is a wine meant to be
drunk with a good piece of red meat. Masses of Dark black fruits, liquorice, anise,
dark chocolate and spice. Whilst this is lovely to drink now, a few years in
the cellar wouldn’t hurt it either. 93
points Anthony D’Anna Hamish MacGowan's cabernet is an interesting creation. The concept was
to produce a varietal wine specifically geared to accompany prime beef and
the origins of the grape material were always to be flexible. As such, the
Bull is a multi regional blend of Victorian and SA fruit, each parcel
carefully selected and processed to serve the end result in the winemaker's
mind. I reckon the project works well and the wine shows typical black berry
flavour with traces of dark chocolate and charry wood. Unlike many young
cabernet, ready to drink tonight. 4
1/2 STARS Paddy Kendler Herald Sun It took just five vintages for Angus the Bull to make its mark as the
wine of choice of many a red-blooded Aussie carnivore. And the release of the
sixth vintage is sure to get more doing so, even though 2007 was a horror
year for many makers with drought cutting fruit supplies to people like
Hamish MacGowan – winemaker and founder of Angus the Bull – by over twenty
per cent. To make up for it Hamish had to go "looking further afield,"
and ended up drawing on supplies from Victoria's and South Australia's
premium Cabernet Sauvignon wine regions. The result is the 2007 Angus, a
gutsy red with intense dark fruit, chocolate and vanillin flavours and
gorgeous savoury oak – a wine to take by the horns. Wine with David Ellis, 8 Dec 2008 Big Red. Looking for a terrific wine to enjoy with a steak or a
hamburger? The perfect partner for a barbeque? Look no further. This is a
deliciously slurpable red with plenty of flavour. It's rich and powerful
without being over the top. Great value for under $20. Wine with Winsor Dobson, 5 Dec 2008 Regions Strathbogie
Ranges 25% / Barossa Valley 21% / McLaren Vale 20% / Goulburn Valley 20% / Swan Hill 10% / Other 4% Winemaking The philosophy behind Angus The Bull is to create a unique and
innovative wine that provides an ideal accompaniment to prime beef. Each year
the most promising parcels are hand selected and blended from premium
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from a number of outstanding wine regions
across Victoria and South Australia. The flexibility of this multi-regional
blending approach provides for great consistency from vintage to vintage and
allows for the best attributes of individual regions to be combined for
exceptional results. Intense colour with bright purple hues. Ripe
black fruits with rich dark chocolate and vanillin smoky oak aromas. Medium
to full bodied palate weight, characterised by firm tannins and a bold
savoury masculine finish. An ideal accompaniment to red meat and premium cuts
of prime beef. Will continue to improve over the next 3-4 years. "The philosophy behind Angus The Bull is to
create a unique and innovative wine that provides an ideal accompaniment to
prime beef. Each year the most promising parcels are hand selected and
blended from premium Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from a number of
outstanding wine regions across Victoria and South Australia. The flexibility
of this multi-regional blending approach allows for the best attributes of
individual regions to be captured and combined for exceptional results."
Hamish MacGowan - Winemaker ANGUS THE BULL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST
STOCKS LAST FOR $13.99 A BOTTLE AND WITH EVERY SIX BOTTLES PURCHASED, YOU
RECIEVE ONE FREE WAITERS FRIEND. OTHER WINES ON OFFER: Toolangi Reserve Yarra Valley Shiraz
2005 An elegant, medium-bodied wine, winning by subtle persuasion rather
than brute force; silky tannins and fine cherry/plum fruit; fully priced. Rating: 93. To: 2015. James Halliday, Australian Wine
Companion, 2009 Edition Toolangi may well be the benchmark Yarra Valley label. Wine quality is
excellent, the product of outstanding grapes and inspired winemaking. Reserve
Shiraz '05 is complex with smoky, gamey, cherry and plum-like fruit, with a
whisper of mint. The silky palate is beautifully sustained, with superb
balancing fine tannins. Ageing? drink over six years. 5 out of 5 stars Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age Epicure Wine Style,
Summer 2007 Incy-wincy yields (1.5 tonne to 0.4 of a hectare) bring lots of
concentration to this wine. It has a gorgeous perfume, is plump and silky
textured with feather-light tannins. Made at Shadowfax. Jeni Port, The Age Epicure, 14 August 2007 This has a medium-bodied yet intense palate, with red berries rather
than black fruit, a dusting of warm spices - cinnamon and star-anise - and a
gentle layer of toasty oak. It is no blockbuster but all the better for that;
a vibrant wine with some Rhone-like complexity. Gourmet Traveller Wine,
Qantas Inflight Guide to Wine, 2nd Edition This wine was made from hand picked fruit taken from a select site on
our Dixon's Creek vineyard, where the cropping level was adjusted to 1.5
tonnes per acre. Made at Shadowfax by Matt Harrop, this wine was aged in
French oak barriques for 15 months. The most intense of the three 2005 shiraz. Black and blue fruit
aromatics together with balanced oak and a slight liquered nuance. It has a
palate of dark fruits and savoury elements. Strong Rhone elements in this
wine make it one of the more interesting shiraz from the Yarra Valley. Deep red with purple hues. Complex aromas of
spice, licorice, red berries and a hint of pepper. These flavours follow onto
the palate, where they are wrapped in fine tannins and minerally acidity. A
wonderfully complex wine with vibrance and balance which will age gracefully
for many years. - Matt Harrop, May
2007 TOOLANGI RESERVE YARRA VALLEY SHIRAZ 2005 (C) IS AVAILABLE WHILST
STOCKS LAST FOR $35.99 A BOTTLE. STUNNING 2007 VINTAGE RELEASES FROM CULLEN Cullen Margaret River Cabernet Merlot
2007 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit
Verdot and just for a change here’s a double take that’s only available to
subscribers :) Walsh: I didn’t take many notes on this wine, and if I did then I’m
not exactly sure where they are right now, but I remember it perfectly well
and don’t feel the need to go long on the fruit salad descriptors because
this wine is all about structure and length. It’s tight and fine, only medium
bodied really, with a bright mulberry and blackcurrant sort of fruit character,
a slight but pleasant leafiness that’s both Cabernet and regional and
tasteful cedar/vanilla oak in support. Pretty too. The thing that struck me
though, was just how long and controlled it was through the mouth. I tasted
other wines next to it and they looked distinctly clumsy and abbreviated.
Perhaps not the most exciting of wines at present, more subdued and classy,
but it’s going to be magic in the long term. Drink 2019-2030+ 95+ points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front Mattinson: Ah yes I see what you mean. Though it took me a while to
come around to this - biodynamically-grown wines are renowned for their
‘brightness’, but the first day I tried this it seemed dull. Perhaps
’subdued’ is a better word. Day two it tasted better but I still wasn’t
entirely convinced. Day three it was at its best, its quality clear. Good
sign I know though you’d be doing your dough if you were looking to drink it
soon-ish. One of the interesting things about 2007 Margaret River cabernet is
that the wines generally aren’t thick or ballsy or robust, but they are
beautifully ripe and balanced. This wine sure is. It has a lightness of
touch, a natural sense of acidity, and strides long and sure out through its
finish. I’m with Walsh - it’s a wine characterised by its structure and
length. Good news for its future. 94
points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front Just to fully impose her dominance over Australian fine winemaking,
Vanya Cullen doubles her whammy with this astonishing bio-D blend of cabernet
sauvignon (84 per cent), merlot (8 per cent); cabernet franc (4 per cent) and
petit verdot (4 per cent). It bought to me a vision of a hot gothic!
Sultry-musky Mananne, Faithfull sitting with a knife and fork to devour a
quivering gelatinous block of arterial blood, blood orange, soot, coffee,
ancient oolong tea, and trainline gravel, dusted with gunpowder and the
pollen of forests and fields of meadow blooms. It’s an extreme, profoundly
beautiful thing. Thirty years in the cellar. Philip White, The Independent Weekly, 19 June 2009 This is one of the greatest Diana Madeline’s. The outstanding quality
of this wine reflects a combination of the excellent conditions that existed
for all red grape varieties during the lead up to the 2007 vintage and the
benefits of employing the best biodynamic practices. The vines at the end of winter in 2006 were in exceptionally good
health and thus able to capitalise fully on the stimulus provided by an
unusually warm spring. The more rapid than usual growth of the vines in the
spring resulted in the grapes of the early varieties being ready for
harvesting before the end of January, which led to the earliest start to
vintage ever recorded at Cullen Wines. Although spring and early summer
temperatures were as much as 2.5°C above average, they never became excessive
and the vines received the benefit of two good bursts of rainfall at the peak
of their growing season. The outstanding quality of the fruit that was produced, particularly
the red varieties, during the warm vintage in 2007 provides good evidence
that the vines on the Cullen Vineyards are able to adapt very successfully to
increases in temperature during the lead up to vintage. This adaptability is
attributed to the benefits of employing a well established biodynamic
approach to viticulture. From the encouraging experience gained in 2007, the
Cullens consider that the effects of global warming on their vines are likely
to be limited, which is a huge relief. Cullen
Wines The 2007 Diana Madeline was made from 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8%
Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The fruit was picked at Baumés ranging from 12.0 to 13.8° and
fermentation employed natural yeasts. The wine was matured for 14 months in
high quality French oak barriques. ‘An estate-grown wine of the highest quality;
since 1990 has been the best Margaret River Cabernet Merlot blend. Up to 1995
both a varietal and a Reserve version were made, but as from that vintage the
decision was taken to only release one wine. Consistently outstanding. A
blend of 75 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 per cent Merlot and 5 per cent
Cabernet Franc. James Halliday CULLEN DIANA MADELAINE MARGARET RIVER CABERNET MERLOT 2007 (S) IS
AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $94.99 A BOTTLE. Cullen Margaret River Chardonnay 2007 This is the best Australian chardonnay I’ve had. Numbers nuts might
like to know its vital statistics are pH 3; natural acid 10g./I; harvested on
a full moon fruit day and fermented dry as the Valley of Bones at 13.5 per
cent. It is unlike any chardonnay I’ve tasted before. Pepper, ginger, lemon
and wet coffee-rock aromas sort of slice at you from the glass. It’s as
rapier stiff as any riesling, with an authority and weight that are a
formidable, confronting delight. Grown and made biodynamically by Vanya
Cullen, it manages both force and finesse in transfixing harmony. And it will
live for many years. Philip White, The
Independent Weekly, 19 June 2009 Kevin Cullen was a passionate believer in the quality of Margaret
River as a wine region and particularly of its potential to become one of the
great areas for both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. He thus created the
Cullen Wines International Chardonnay Tasting, now in its twenty third year,
to enable the wines from Margaret River to be compared with the great
Chardonnays produced in other prime locations elsewhere in the world. Kevin
felt that the lessons learnt from these comparisons would help Cullen Wines
optimise the quality of the excellent Chardonnay fruit that was grown on
their vineyards. Cullen Wines have decided to recognise Kevin’s pioneering
contribution to the elevation of its Chardonnay to prime status by naming
this wine the "Kevin John" and thereby form a formidable twin with
the Diana Madeline, the Cabernet Sauvignon blend named in honour of his wife. The Chardonnay in 2007 was picked at ideal physiological ripeness,
with sugar levels ranging from 12.0 to 13.2° Baumé. The acid levels were
outstanding, with the pH being only 3 and the acid at 10g per litre, and thus
no acid adjustment was required. The fruit was harvested around a full moon
on fruit days in accordance with the best biodynamic practices and then was
whole bunch pressed. The juice was transferred directly into French oak
barrels, where the wine was matured for 10 months. The quality of this wine
demonstrates that 2007 was a very good vintage for white wines as well as for
red wines at Cullen. Complexity and texture are hallmarks of the
Cullen Chardonnay. The fruit for this wine is harvested at varying degrees
throughout vintage to contribute a range of flavours. The wine is fermented
with natural yeasts and maturated in French oak for seven to ten months. In
order to preserve flavour and texture the wine has, if any at all, a light
fining and filtration just prior to bottling. Cullen Chardonnay will cellar
well for up to ten years. CULLEN MARGARET RIVER CABERNET MERLOT 2007 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST
STOCKS LAST FOR $59.99 A BOTTLE. BABY COLERAINE DELIVERS THE GOODS Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot 2007 Te Mata Estate Coleraine is arguably New Zealand’s greatest red wine.
Certainly, it’s been produced for a long time, 26 vintages, and has been at
or near the totem most of that time. These days it could be argued that pinot
noir is NZ’s most successful red variety. But Te Mata Estate Coleraine was
the fi rst Kiwi cabernet blend to rock the world, which it did from its fi
rst vintage, 1982. It was based on a single vineyard surrounding owner John
Buck’s house in the Hawkes Bay region. I will never forget tasting the ’82, at a Sydney shop The Oak Barrel,
when it was released in the early ‘80s. I’d never tasted a half-decent Kiwi
red wine till then (pinot noir being a good decade away), and I was
gobsmacked. Te Mata’s second-string red is called Awatea. Both are blends of
cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. The price of both has
escalated, although Awatea is still aff ordable at $42 to $45 (Coleraine is
$81 to $88). The 2007 vintages of both wines are superb. Coleraine is more
heavily oaked and more tannic: deeper, tighter and built to age longer. A
great wine without doubt, although you need to cellar it at least fi ve
years, preferably 10 to 15, to get your full pay-off . You expect a mind-bending wine with Coleraine. But the ’07 Awatea is
the more startling, because it’s probably the best Awatea yet – certainly the
best I can recall. It is more accessible, less tannic, more fruit driven and
full of charm, especially if you give it some air. Very good concentration,
soft tannins, moderate oak and, like Coleraine, superbly ripe fruit fl avours
in the dark-berry spectrum, without any herbaceousness. I’d expect it to also
cellar 15years. Huon Hooke, The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend
Saturday 20th June 2009 Te Mata Estate’s 2007 reds are indeed intensely concentrated yet still
demonstrate restraint in their power and style. Te Mata Estate’s top tier
reds, Bullnose Syrah, Awatea and Coleraine, all exhibit superbly ripe fruit
notes together with perfect harmony and balance. They are lovely to taste now
but will cellar for many years developing spectacular complexity. SAM KIM
YOUR WEEKEND Magazine, Dominion Post, 28 March 2009 Awatea takes its name from the legendary ship SS Awatea (a Maori word
meaning "Eye of the Dawn") that sailed the Auckland – Sydney –
Wellington route in the late 1930’s. The Awatea was requisitioned as a troop
transport in WWII and was sunk off Algeria in 1942. The vineyard is named Awatea as it is owned by the Austen-Smith family
who had connections to both the Union Shipping Company and the NZ Shipping
Company. An earlier branch of the family had purchased various fittings that
were stripped from the Awatea when it was requisitioned as a troop carrier in
WW2. The following generation named the vineyard Awatea to maintain the
family connection to the ship; Te Mata Estate and the Austen-Smith family
asked the Union Shipping Company permission to use the ships name and image
on the wine in recognition of this link between the wine, the vineyard, the
family and their connection to the SS Awatea. First made in 1982, and originally a single
vineyard wine, Awatea is now produced from over thirty separate cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot wines made from Te Mata
Estate's nine Hawke's Bay vineyards. When Awatea is well cellared it develops
and intensifies in bottle for 8-12 years from harvest. TE MATA AWATEA CABERNET MERLOT 2007 (C) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS
LAST FOR $37.99 A BOTTLE. LAST STOCKS OF LANGI 2005... Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz 2005 Awards: Trophy - National Wine Show
of Australia 2006 Best Dry Red Table Wine - 2005 Vintage Trophy - National Wine Show
of Australia 2007 Best Dry Red Table Wine - 2005 Vintage Deep, dark purple on colour. Ripe and plush on the nose, with dark
brambly red fruits, spice and hints of white pepper. A beautifully layered
and textured palate with dark red fruits, plum, anice and blackberry all
leading to a firm but fine finish. Awesome wine. Cellar 2008-2018 95 points Anthony D'Anna 'Previously a Pinot Noir winemaker, Buckle has a Burgundian mentality.
He uses open fermenters and small parcels of fruit to reflect terroir and
selects fruit for optimal aromatic elements. This gives the wines an elegant
floral quality while retaining the ripe black fruit juiciness which Australia
can achieve so well. TheCliff Edge 2004also displays some judicious cedar
elements and an attractively firm tannin structure as well as black pepper.
Their flagship Langi 2005 is a super-charged version that is savoury,
refined, highly perfumed, a pronounced fruit syrup with spicebox and
blackberry notes and a long, elegant finish.' Jancis Robinson Ghiran’s releases this year are like an entire
Album of greatest hits and the Blue Label is the title track. Controlled,
spicy and red fruited, this is probably the most compact yet expressive wines
in our list this year, and it’s the finest wine ever made in Mount Ararat! Taste 2008, Matthew Jukes & Tyson
Stelzer MOUNT LANGI GHIRAN SHIRAZ 2005 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR
$49.99 A BOTTLE. At Boccaccio, we
keep a massive collection of back vintage wine that has been stored by us
since the day it was released. We don’t buy from auction, rather guarantee
the providence of all out aged wines. This week we go back to the classic
Riesling vintage of 2002 and showcase two beauties. Anthony D’Anna 2002 VINTAGE
RIESLING: A CLASSIC YEAR Leasingham Bin 7 Clare Valley Riesling
2002 A classic wine from a classic region made in a classic vintage -
sounds like pure hyperbole, but it happens to be true. A clean and crisp
bouquet of light citrus, spice and mineral flows into an impeccably balanced
palate with all the components to guarantee (and repay) extended cellaring. Rating 94 Drink 2015 Date Tasted Oct 02 James Halliday Austere and lemony, with a
sizzling crimp of tangy, fruity acid on the extended finish and a fair flair
of blossomy flavours throughout. Pale and fresh. Back in top form after a
disappointing 2001. Rated : 93 Points Drink : 2006-2017 Campbell Mattinson, The
Wine Front The wine has a rich history; the vineyards were
planted in the 1940s against contemporary thinking in the 1960s when a newly
graduated Tim Knappstein arrived at Leasingham, and proceeded to make Bin 7
one of Australia's most highly rated white wines. Thirty years later, the
50-year-old vines have been reworked with a new trellis and vertical spur
positioning to produce even better grapes. James Halliday LEASINGHAM BIN 7 CLARE VALLEY RIESLING
2002 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $24.99 A BOTTLE. AND AN AGED LEO
BURING LEONAY AT IT’S BEST Leo Buring DW F18 Leonay Watervale
Riesling 2002 This just start starting to come through it's awkard period and it is
still in great shape. It is nicely balanced with primary and secondary
flavour's all having a say. Prominent lemon juice, fennel, minerals, honey
dew and white nectarine are all there with enough acidity in the tank to keep
it alive for many years to come. 93 points Anthony D'Anna Light green-yellow; an intense yet superfine bouquet with ripe
lime/citrus aromatics. The long and fine palate has great balance and
excellent mouthfeel, intense, but not heavy. A touch of CO2 is not overly
distracting. Rating 94 Drink 2014 Date Tasted Jul 02 James Halliday Over the years, Leo Buring has established a reputation as Australia's
foremost maker of Riesling – the flagship being Leo Buring Leonay. They
combine intense fruit flavours with great elegance. The wines age gracefully
and acquire a great depth of toasty flavour while still retaining great
freshness, and avoiding the kerosene -like character that hampers other aged
Rieslings. 'Firm, steely, minerally, flinty; shy but deep;
long term potential. 2007-2022.' - Huon Hook's Top 20 Rieslings. LEO BURING DW F18 LEONAY WATERVALE RIESLING 2002 (S) IS AVAILABLE
WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $44.99 A BOTTLE. HIGHLIGHTS FROM PREVIOUS WEEKS: Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2006 The composition varies little from vintage to vintage, drawing on the
Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, the
Clare Valley and Bordertown. Great colour, it is an intense and complex wine of
great breed, with many layers of chocolate and black fruits, the powerful
tannins in balance; American oak likewise. Screwcap; 14.5% alc; to 2036 Rating: 96 James Halliday Bin 389 legend continues. Say what you will about
Penfolds and/or Foster’s … Bin 389 has soared on regardless. This year it’s a
blend of cabernet (52 per cent) with shiraz (48 per cent), matured in only
twenty-two per cent new oak. Fantastic attack of flavour, grip through the
finish, balance and harmony. Complete Australian red wine. Bold but
restrained, herbal and vanillin but full of powerful, ripe, assertively dark
fruit. The finish is long and satisfying and cabernet’s rugged control keeps
the wine’s sense of ‘flow’ strict and focussed. Drink : 2012 - 2024 95 points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine
Front PENFOLDS BIN 389 CABERNET SHIRAZ 2006 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS
LAST FOR $42.99 A BOTTLE. Penfolds
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Mattinson: I
often like Bin 407 but even so, I don’t have an affection for it. It was one
of the first wines to ‘burn’ me - one of the first wines that I bought in
volume on the back of a review, but then didn’t end up liking, even given
some time in the cellar. I’ve approached it sceptically ever since. Over the
past few years I’ve come to like it increasingly more though, and while I
don’t think this 2006 is either a great wine or great value, I do think the
quality is very good. It’s
medium-weight, olivey, fleshed with blackcurrant and spicy, cedary French
oak. It has chalky, violetty, herbal influences but the thing I really like
is that it’s pure cabernet made unashamedly for cabernet lovers – it’s not a
shiraz wannabe. It tastes of nothing other than cabernet. There’s a
sticky-date sweetness through the aftertaste and gorgeous, velvety texture.
Real length too, and real potential. 93 points for me. Campbell
Mattinson, The Wine Front Walsh: I’m a big
fan of both the ‘96 and ‘04 vintages of this wine and good bottles of the ‘96
are only just starting to sing. I love the balance this strikes between
strong blackcurrant/Cassis fruit and subtle dusty bay leaf characters - oak a
minor player. It’s rich but distinctly Cabernet - full firm chalky tannins,
savoury earthy flavours mingling with sweet ripe fruit - actually reminds me
of a Margaret River wine in many respects. Length and depth all bang on.
Fabulous wine. Emphatic approval. 94 points. Drink: 2010-2030 Gary
Walsh, The Wine Front Launched in 1993 with the 1990 vintage, Penfolds
Bin 407 was developed by Penfolds Chief Winemaker, John Duval, in response to
the increasing availability of high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon fruit.
Inspired by Penfolds Bin 707, Bin 407 offers varietal definition and
attention to detail, at a more affordable price point. A textbook Cabernet,
Bin 407 is true to Penfolds' multi-region, multi-vineyard blending policy,
showing a core of ripe fruit supported by French and American oak. PENFOLDS BIN 407 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2006 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $35.99 A BOTTLE. ONE OF THE GREATEST LEHMAN WINES? Peter Lehmann Stonewell Barossa Valley
Shiraz 2004 A perfect wine (I didn’t flinch in giving it 20/20) and in my opinion
this is the greatest Stonewell ever. The 2004 is a life changing experience
in every respect and you must still remind yourself that it is mind-blowing
value for money, given that it costs around the same as a half decent bottle
of NV Champagne. I cannot stress to you just how incredible this wine is. So
beg, borrow or steal to get an allocation... and I will see you in the queue.
MATTHEW JUKES, 100 Best Australian
Wines 2009 Stonewell is made from the very best of the superlative Peter Lehmann
Barossa Shiraz vineyards. The grapes are drawn only from low-yielding
vineyards in the drier western areas of the Barossa Valley. These vineyards,
some planted well over 100 years ago, produce sparse bunches with tiny
berries – small black jewels – the secret of Stonewell Shiraz. The wine is made solely from low-yielding old
vineyards of the Stonewell, Ebenezer and Moppa subdistricts of the Barossa
Valley. The fermentation is finished in 85 per cent new American oak and 15
per cent French oak in which it is then matured for two years prior to
bottling. It is then given three years bottle-age before release. The wine
has a supremely illustrious show record, with many major trophies to its
credit. James Halliday PETER LEHMANN STONEWELL BAROSSA VALLEY SHIRAZ 2004 (C) IS AVAILABLE
WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $74.99 A BOTTLE. 07 LECONFIELD COONAWARRA CAB SAUV Leconfield Coonawarra Cabernet
Sauvignon 2007 Impressive Cabernet: dark purple in the glass; the nose is a deep and
intense with cigar box, cassis, cedar and spice. This wine really powers
through the palate with rich dark fruits, hints of oak in the background and
a lovely lifted finish. 92 points
Anthony D’Anna Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon has been the flagship of Leconfield
since the first release in 1977. Our philosophy is to produce a Cabernet
Sauvignon displaying both depth and elegance where oak complexes and enhances
the fruit but is not allowed to dominate. Most of the components that have
made up this wine have been allowed to complete fermentation in predominantly
French oak and were blended with a small percentage that had extended contact
with grape skins for several weeks. Harvest was on the 10 and 11th of April.
Oak maturation was in predominantly new hogsheads which had several workings
to soften the tannins and fill-out the flavour. The wine received a light egg
fining and gentle filtration before bottling on the 27th February 2009. Leconfield's winemakers Paul Gordon and Tim
Bailey continue to impress judges with their high winemaking standards. LECONFIELD COONAWARRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST
STOCKS LAST FOR $26.99 A BOTTLE. GREAT VALUE SUB $20 WINTER DRINKING Guigal Cote du Rhone Rouge 2005 A blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, the 2005 Cotes du Rhone is a
real head turner. Full-bodied, with a deep ruby/purple color and sweet notes
of berry fruit, a hint of road tar, and some pepper, the wine is dense,
chewy, ripe, and a surprisingly big mouthful of juicy, velvety-textured wine
to drink over the next 3-4 years. Drink 2007 - 2011 89 points Robert Parker Wine Advocate # 173 Oct 2007 The Rhone Valley’s most successful producer
continues to ratchet up the level of quality of his Cotes du Rhone cuvees, of
which he produces hundreds of thousands of cases. Both Marcel Guigal and his
son Philippe realize how important quality is and demonstrate that commitment
in these lower level wines. They just get better and better, which is
incredibly admirable. Robert Parker
Wine Advocate GUIGAL COTE DU RHONE ROUGE 2005 (C) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST
FOR $17.99 A BOTTLE. A MUST FOR ANY PINOT NOIR LOVER Bass Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2007 Typical Bass Phillip in all regards. I think this is a very good Bass
Phillip with being one of the great Bass Phillips. Will I be putting this in
my cellar? Yep definately. Quite murky in colour; strawberries, forest floor;
rhubarb and cherries on the nose. The palate is quite delicate and feminine
but with plenty of acidty and structure. 93
points Anthony D'Anna Bass Phillip is located in prime dairy country near Leongatha in South
Gippsland in an area widely known for its regular rainfall pattern. The
vineyards have a north-easterly aspect and are planted on deep silty loams
with a high iron content, a factor that gives tremendous colour to the fruit. Rigorous triaging of fruit, together with an almost insane passion and
attention to detail, has resulted in the most exquisite of Australian Pinot
Noirs. The wines have beautiful, black cherry, floral and gamey aromas,
supple, velvety tannins, underlying smoky oak and plenty of length. In recent
years, he has developed new vineyards to become commercially more comfortable
without compromising quality. The market is already embracing the Old Cellar
Pinot Noir and Crown Prince Pinot Noir, off relatively young vines. The
Reserve Pinot Noir is almost impossible to get, but is arguably the greatest
Pinot Noir produced in Australia. These wines are on the fringe of the cult
scene and can perform spectacularly well. Andrew Caillard, MW Phillip Jones has retired from the Melbourne
rat-race to handcraft tiny quantities of superlative Pinot Noir which, at its
best, has no equal in Australia. Painstaking site selection, ultra-close vine
spacing and the very, very cool climate of South Gippsland are the keys to
the magic of Bass Phillip and its eerily Burgundian Pinots. James Halliday BASS PHILLIP ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2007 (C) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS
LAST FOR $69.99 A BOTTLE. WITH WINTER HERE – IT IS TIME TO CRACK OPEN THE
SEPPELT MUSCAT AND TOKAY Seppeltsfield Grand Rutherglen Muscat
500ml Deep, tawny brown with a olive green hue. The nose is rich and
expressive with raisined fruit, rose petal and floral aromatics combining
seamlessly, with delicate spirit and integrated small oak complexity. An
excellent example of the Rutherglen style - a smooth and rich palate,
luscious viscosity and impressive length. Rainsined fruit, caramel and spicy,
plum pudding flavours combine before a long, lingering finish. Deep mahogany brown, with a mix of gold and green
on the rim. Rich, raisined, spicy plum pudding aromas are lifted by perfectly
balanced and integrated spirit. The powerful, complex and rich palate - plum
pudding and Christmas cake - has a very long, lingering finish. 96/100 James Halliday SEPPELTSFIELD GRAND RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT 500ML IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS
LAST FOR $28.99 A BOTTLE. Seppeltsfield Grand Rutherglen Tokay
500ml No other winemaker in Australia can boast such a collection of fine
old fortified wine stocks dating back to last century. At present,
Seppeltsfield has more than 9 million litres of fortifieds maturing in
specially built cellars, some dating back to 1878 The Seppelt DP 57 Grand Rutherglen Tokay is sourced from premium
parcels of fruit and aged in small oak casks to produce a wine with luscious
toffee-honey flavours, rich aged complexity and lingering length. The essence
of Rutherglen Tokay is an ideal accompaniment to chocolate-based desserts. Mahogany gold; complex, sweet and rich tea-leaf,
raisin and plum pudding aromas are followed by an equally complex,
multi-flavoured palate which leaves the mouth fresh thanks to its perfect
balance. 94/100 James Halliday SEPPELTSFIELD GRAND RUTHERGLEN TOKAY 500ML IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS
LAST FOR $28.99 A BOTTLE. & THE PERFECT DRINK WITH WINTER
SOUP Delgado Zuleta 'La Goya' Manzanilla
375ml I’ve been drinking this wine frequently, as I knew I would when I gave
up the struggle and bought it. Spanish Manzanilla, screwcapped and rushed to
Australia within weeks of being bottled, is utterly addictive. It’s bone dry,
tangy and perfectly balanced; all the descriptors relate to its inimitable
texture and structure. Baskets of fruit are not what this wine is about:
indeed, its very neutrality is its greatest strength, for it will match any
food of any description you care to throw against it. Then again, it is
equally at home as an aperitif, which is where I start each night. It comes
in 375 ml bottles, and must be served chilled, kept in the fridge once
opened, and the remaining wine consumed within days. Given its alcohol level
of only 15% alc/vol, this is not an imperative that presents any problem for
me. Its price of around $22 (375 ml) means the addiction comes cheap. James
Halliday ELGADO ZULETA is the oldest family owned winery in the
Jerez-Xèréz-Sherry & Manzanilla district currently maturing and
commercialising Manzanilla,Sherry and "Tierra de Cádiz" still white
wine.It is located in Sanlucar de Barrameda, a small coastal town at the
mouth of the Guadalquivir River, facing the Atlantic Ocean and the Doñana
Natural Park. DELGADO ZULETA was established in 1744 by Francisco Gil de
Ledesma, Knight of the Order of Calatrava and Sanlucar Honorary Mayor. The
current name honours Mr José María Delgado Zuleta, a navy officer and skilful
business man that ran the company after marrying a direct descendant of its
founder. That was a time of great growth and notorietyas the company became
official suppliers of the Spanish Royal Court. The history: In 1918, a famous flamenco dancer and well known Cuple
singer, Aurora Jauffre, allowed the winery to use her artistic name "La
Goya" for their very best Manzanilla. Since then "La Goya" has been a
reference of quality in the most important Manzanilla markets. These include
Sanlucar de Barrameda, Manzanilla origin, where today the brand maintains its
leading position. In 1930 their majestics King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria
Eugenia, grandparents of the present King of Spain, honoured our Botas by
placing their signature. The vineyards that have been in the family for over
200 years are located between the famous pagos of Miraflores and Pastranilla.
Their special Albariza soils makes them part of the "Jerez
Superior" area. THE CELLARS are strategically situated in the most humid
areas of Sanlucar de Barrameda to get the ideal conditions for the formation
of the "flor", which is essential to mature Manzanilla. The
buildings are divided between the Old Town or "Barrio Alto" and the
Dehesilla zone. DELGADO ZULETA ‘LA GOYA’ MANZANILLA 375ML (S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST
STOCKS LAST FOR $14.99 A BOTTLE. AN UNLABELLED CLARE-COONAWARRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THAT DRINKS WELL ABOVE IT’S WEIGHT Unlabelled Clare Valley/Coonawarra 'The
Twin' Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 From two different vineyard blocks, one in the heart of the Clare
Valley, the other in Coonawarra, we present our Unlabelled Clare Valley 'The
Twin' Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. You must always expect the unexpected because life is full of
surprises. This wine has a history and pedigree that we have all come to expect
from the Clare Valley. We see this wine as the forgotten 'twin' to our
'Against At Odd's' that we so famously adopted. At $8.00 use it as your pizza wine but please
don't forget that it is a serious wine from a very good producer that will
benefit with some bottle age. UNLABELLED CLARE VALLEY/COONAWARRA ‘THE TWIN’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006
(S) IS AVAILABLE WHILST STOCKS LAST FOR $8.00 A BOTTLE. PLEASE NOTE: (S) SCREWCAP,
(C) CORK |
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F A M I L Y O W N E D F I N
E W I N E M E R C H A N T S S I N C E 1 9 6 3 Riesling offers Unlabelled Clare Valley 'The
Greatest' Riesling 2008 is available for $8.00 a bottle. Jim Barry Watervale Valley Riesling
2008 is available for $12.99 a bottle Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2008 is
available for $24.99 a bottle. Chardonnay offers Williams Crossing Chardonnay 2007 is available
until stocks last for $20.99 a bottle. Wickhams Road Gippsland Chardonnay
2007 is available until stocks last for $14.99 a bottle. Hoddles Creek Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
is available for $17.99 a bottle.. Semillon offers McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon 2004 is
available for $13.99 a bottle. Peter Lehmann Semillon 2006 is
available for $9.99 a bottle. Tyrrells Vat 1 Hunter Valley Semillon
2002 is available for $35.99 a bottle. Shiraz offers Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz 2006 is
available for $13.99 a bottle. White Box Heathcote Shiraz 2006 is
available for $15.99 a bottle. McWilliams Mount Pleasant Phillip
Shiraz 2005 is available for $13.99 a bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon offers Wirra Wirra Church Block Cabernet
Shiraz Merlot 2007 is available for $16.99 a bottle. Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet
Sauvignon 2007 is available for $29.99 a bottle. Barwang Hilltops Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 is available for $14.99 a bottle. Pinot Noir Curly Flat Macedon Pinot Noir 2006 is
available for $44.99 a bottle. Stoniers Pinot Noir 2007 is available
for $23.99 a bottle Sauvignon Blanc offers Villa Maria Marlborough Sauvignon
Blanc 2008 is available for $19.99 a bottle. Lawsons Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2008
is available for $17.99 a bottle. Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon
Blanc 2008 is available until stocks last for $16.99 a bottle. Sparkling offers Chandon Vintage 2005 is available for
$29.99 a bottle. Moet Chandon Non Vintage is available
for $59.99 a bottle. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter,
please mail us at newsletter@boccaccio.com.au
with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. |
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