Had the opportunity to attend a tasting on the weekend of the 99 Yquem and
various wines from the Beechworth region. Due to the price constraints I
have never owned a bottle of Yquem and had only drunk it on 2 occasions
(both of which were at lengthy wine dinners and they always seem to serve
the Yquem at the point of the night when my notetaking becomes somewhat
sporadic ). I had been unwell on the day before the tasting and was
"just" recovered enough to attend, I mention this as I feel it may have
interfered with my ability to fully asses the wines tasted (reds only,
strangely enough).

Chateau d'Yquem 1999
A huge blockbuster of a wine, rich golden and viscous to look at. Intense
sweet, spicy aroma, volatile, luscious and concentrated, dominated by sweet
dried apricots and some asian spice. Concentrated botrytis character in the
mouth, apricots & peaches evident with some honeyed tinges. Enormous natural
acidity all combining into an outstanding package. I don't know why this
wine hadn't made such an impression on the previous occasions I had it (I
was probably just too ****ed ) Talking to the rep I learned a few of
those things everbody else probably knows about this wine, that it takes 1
vine to produce a single glass of it. That berries are harvested
individually when they are ready and there can be up to 8 picking passes
through the vineyard. That kind of care & concentration is evident. Whilst I
loved it I had to think of the budget and bought only a single 375ml ($199
Oz).

Castagna Allegro 2004 Beechworth Victoria (a Rose made from Shiraz)
Light musky pink in the glass with a pleasant, pretty nose of Strawberries
and wild flowers. it was quite simple in the mouth a little sweet pink fruit
and a little acid. Good for picnics maybe.

This is where I started to think something was wrong as I had attended the
launch dinner of Castagna and enjoyed this wine then - Light salmon pink
colour with a nose of strawberries and red cherries and a whiff of rose
petals. There is abundant red fruit on the richly textured palate with a
tingling acidity and light tannins. It finishes well with a sweet, spicy
tang that lingers. Delicious. Hmmm.

Sorrenberg Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003
Bright pale straw colour. The nose displays some yeast, biscuit and
confectionary. Mouthfilling palate, with flavours of spice, confectionary
and musk emerging over a yeasty background. Excellent length and depth. Not
typically my preferred style of white wine this one was outstanding.

Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2003
Pale golden tint with a buttery nose and some toasty oak and peaches. Palate
follows the nose with some nice creaminess, followed by some yeast & almonds
and then a rancio character emerging, very nice package.

After this I tasted Savaterre Pinot Noir 2002, Golden Ball Shiraz 2002 &
Castagna Genisis Syrah 2002. I will not post my notes (I'm going to discard
them entirely) as I could detect virtually no fruit characters or any
defining characters that weren't unpleasant. Mostly my descriptors were
medicinal, metallic, burnt toast, leather, dust etc. though I seemed to be
able to pick the acidity fairly well. These were all at odds with the other
people I was tasting with (several of whom I know and whose opinions I
respect). Once I reached the Castagna Syrah (a delicious wine with sweet
black fruit a twist of black pepper and great finesse) and found it
unpleasant I knew it was time to leave even with 5 wines still untasted. Oh
well. This has never happened to me before, having my palate betray me. I
have had it fatigue and I have been at odds with other people over wines
many times, but I have always tended to agree with myself . There is a
consistency to my notes that I can generally rely upon, tasting and noting
the same wine months apart and then comparing the 2 notations reveals this.
(not that I do it to test my consistency but I will taste at trade shows &
wholesaler tastings and have reps bring product in and often I can't
remember if I have tasted that particular wine (which is why I make notes in
the first place ) when I bring those notes together they often look
remarkably similar.) Has anybody else had this problem before? (Jodie it
called it "Vinous Impotence" a term I both liked and hated )
Cheers Andrew

I just bought a couple of 1999 375's for $110 USD. A quick comparison
showed $199 Aus=$156 USD so it's a bit cheaper here in Ohio which is a
surprise since we have fairly high State mandated prices here in Ohio.

"Bi!!" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought a couple of 1999 375's for $110 USD. A quick comparison
showed $199 Aus=$156 USD so it's a bit cheaper here in Ohio which is a
surprise since we have fairly high State mandated prices here in Ohio.


Which is a big part of the reason I don't know much about European wines. I
see Dale's posts about what he pays for some of his wines and when I can
find them here in Oz they are always MUCH more expensive. He has talked
happily about wines he has paid $23US for and the same thing here costs
$70Oz. Size of the market, tyranny of distance, the reasons are obvious, but
still irritating!
Cheers Andrew

"Andrew Goldfinch" wrote in message
...

"Bi!!" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought a couple of 1999 375's for $110 USD. A quick comparison
showed $199 Aus=$156 USD so it's a bit cheaper here in Ohio which is a
surprise since we have fairly high State mandated prices here in Ohio.


Which is a big part of the reason I don't know much about European wines.
I see Dale's posts about what he pays for some of his wines and when I can
find them here in Oz they are always MUCH more expensive. He has talked
happily about wines he has paid $23US for and the same thing here costs
$70Oz. Size of the market, tyranny of distance, the reasons are obvious,
but still irritating!
Cheers Andrew

No they are no, Andrew. I strongly disagree with this assertion. If you know
where to shop and buy wines en primeur you can pick up wines as cheap or
cheaper than in the States.

Ron Lel

"Bi!!" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just bought a couple of 1999 375's for $110 USD. A quick comparison
showed $199 Aus=$156 USD so it's a bit cheaper here in Ohio which is a
surprise since we have fairly high State mandated prices here in Ohio.

I guess you do! I just saw the '99 in 375s at the Wine House (a not
particularly cheap shop) for ~$70US.

Tom S

Andrew Goldfinch wrote:

Size of the market, tyranny of distance, the reasons are obvious, but
still irritating!
Cheers Andrew



"tyranny of distance"

i like that phrase a lot. Is it from a song? Sounds familiar.

"Ron Lel" wrote in message

No they are no, Andrew. I strongly disagree with this assertion. If you
know where to shop and buy wines en primeur you can pick up wines as cheap
or cheaper than in the States.

Ron Lel

Hi Ron
Sounds good, please let me in on where you shop. This has consistently been
my experience at The Wine Society, Nicks Wine Merchants(& Vintage Direct),
Randalls, Armadale Cellars, Old & Rare Wines & Caulfield Cellars. These are
the places I have either bought or priced European wines. If you know
somewhere on line or off line in Melbourne that has great priced, great
drinking European wines I would love to hear about it.
Cheers Andrew

Andrew Goldfinch wrote:

"Ron Lel" wrote in message


No they are no, Andrew. I strongly disagree with this assertion. If you
know where to shop and buy wines en primeur you can pick up wines as cheap
or cheaper than in the States.

Ron Lel


Hi Ron
Sounds good, please let me in on where you shop. This has consistently been
my experience at The Wine Society, Nicks Wine Merchants(& Vintage Direct),
Randalls, Armadale Cellars, Old & Rare Wines & Caulfield Cellars. These are
the places I have either bought or priced European wines. If you know
somewhere on line or off line in Melbourne that has great priced, great
drinking European wines I would love to hear about it.
Cheers Andrew




Hi Andrew and Ron,

I would ordinarily suggest Dan Murphy's as by far the cheapest wine
retailer around. I think you get further discount for buying 6, or it
might be 12, mixed or straight.

However given their low turnover of premium wines, I'd suggest many of
them are corked. I'd would say many of the bottles of vintage Grange and
premium vintage French bottles have been sitting in class cases exposed
to light and higher than ideal temperature and low humidity for quite
some time.

Perhaps drop in and ask about their corked bottle return policy and
compare some prices.

Occaisionally they have premium wine sales. They are supposed to do
price matching, so if you find some cheap price via one of Ron's
suggestions you should get it even cheaper there.

I would just make sure you could return it if it turns out to have gone
to the dogs.

I love Dan's, but unless I had an iron-clad return policy, I would not
risk an expensive purchase.

Please let me know how you go if you do go to Dan Murphy's. I know the
range would not quite be the same as a speciality wine merchant [ie
specialising in Burgundy for instance] but there are certainly some very
interesting items there.



Mat.

"Mat" Ask@me wrote in message ...
Andrew Goldfinch wrote:
snipped

Dan's is not the place to buy fine wines. You may occasionally pick up a
reasonable bottle of Burg but generally prices are too high. There are a few
places to try, but a decent starting point is Inetrnational Fine Wines,
formerly called Fine Wines of Europe, eg you can pick up the Chandon De
Brialles Pernand Vergelesses !er Cru Ile de Vergelesses for about $59.00 Aud
nd the Corton Bressandes GC for $112. You can pick up some pretty decent
Austrian wines cheaper than I could get them in Austria. There is a decent
range of Burgs and Bordeaux especially the latter on indent. The Spanish are
also worth a look

Randalls you have already mentioned - I am surprised you think they are
expensive. Another place to look at is Europa Wine Cellars.

Auctions are also interesting. MW wines is generally cheaper than Langtons
and the clientelle less knowlegeable. I picked up some Seville Estate
Chardonnays for $10 a bottle - absolute bargain. Rhones tend to go for good
prices at MW. As I gather you are in Melbourne, you should get in touch. I
have some old Bordeaux that are starting to feel lonesome and will need
drinking.

Ron

"Mat" Ask@me wrote in message ...
Andrew Goldfinch wrote:
snipped

Dan's is not the place to buy European wine. Try International Fine wines,
formerly known as "Fine Wines of Europe". I assume from the shops you
mention that you are in Melbourne.

I have picked up Austrian wines cheaper there than i managed to get in
Austria eg Alois Kracher
They also have a decent offer on Domaine Chandon De Brialles at the moment.
As I am also in Melbourne, you should get in touch.

Ron

Ron Lel wrote:
"Mat" Ask@me wrote in message ...

Andrew Goldfinch wrote:

snipped

Dan's is not the place to buy fine wines. You may occasionally pick up a
reasonable bottle of Burg but generally prices are too high. There are a few
places to try, but a decent starting point is Inetrnational Fine Wines,
formerly called Fine Wines of Europe, eg you can pick up the Chandon De
Brialles Pernand Vergelesses !er Cru Ile de Vergelesses for about $59.00 Aud
nd the Corton Bressandes GC for $112. You can pick up some pretty decent
Austrian wines cheaper than I could get them in Austria. There is a decent
range of Burgs and Bordeaux especially the latter on indent. The Spanish are
also worth a look

Randalls you have already mentioned - I am surprised you think they are
expensive. Another place to look at is Europa Wine Cellars.

Auctions are also interesting. MW wines is generally cheaper than Langtons
and the clientelle less knowlegeable. I picked up some Seville Estate
Chardonnays for $10 a bottle - absolute bargain. Rhones tend to go for good
prices at MW. As I gather you are in Melbourne, you should get in touch. I
have some old Bordeaux that are starting to feel lonesome and will need
drinking.

Ron



Hello Ron,

I mentioned they are supposed to beat any advertised price. So if you
see something cheap in a catalogue etc and Dan's have it you should get
it even cheaper.

So if they have something ticketed at $1 000, and you find it somewhere
else [non-liquidation etc] at say $450, at least technically they are
supposed to beat that price.

They have a comparatively small range however. And as I said you'd want
a guarantee regarding returns, as the bottles seem to sit around for a
long time.

For the purposes of our experiment, I thought it might be worthwhile to
go and have a look, and ask if they match prices on premium wines (their
adds say they do) and more importantly if they have a returns policy for
inferior wines.

I know for domestic wines they are invariably much cheaper, but I was
curious as to international stuff, particuarly premium wines.


Mat.

PS: I know Langton's, but what is MW?

"Ron Lel" wrote in message
"Mat" wrote in message

As I am also in Melbourne, you should get in touch.

Ron

Sounds like a good idea! I live in Caulfield South and work on St Kilda Rd.
Whereabouts are you gentlemen located? Perhaps we can get together for an
offline tasting.
Cheers Andrew

Andrew Goldfinch wrote:
"Ron Lel" wrote in message
"Mat" wrote in message


As I am also in Melbourne, you should get in touch.

Ron


Sounds like a good idea! I live in Caulfield South and work on St Kilda Rd.
Whereabouts are you gentlemen located? Perhaps we can get together for an
offline tasting.
Cheers Andrew



Hello Andrew and Ron,

I live just outside of Frankston. Yes yes I know.

Well I think it would be quite interesting meeting you both, but I am
way below your station. Enthusiastic amatuer would perhaps best describe
me, as I think you will have noticed from my many and much-dribbled
postings.

I've googled previously, and Ron I know you are a big bridge man, but
that is all I can gather. And Andrew without blowing your cover I am
pretty sure I know a bit about you. Does the phrase "white maggot" or
"are you blind" mean anything to you?

I'm just joking, I really don't follow that sort of thing that closely.
Didn't mean to give you flashbacks or anything.

And I'm not a crazy cyber stalker either in case you're wondering. Its
just nice to build up a picture of some of the characters that hang
around here.



O as an aside, the folks just returned from Adelaide with much booty,
including quite a few bottles of various McLaren Vale which I know is an
area you love Ron. I managed to liberate a few from the oppresion of Mum
and Dad's house, and am greatly looking forward to them.

If you are interested I will have a look in the ol' cellar and tell you
what they are. Mostly ~$20-ish examples, but some of them Halliday has
rated highly.

They also visited Tinlin which blew them away for the quality you
receive for the ridiculous prices. I might have to start a thread on
Tinlin as it has got me quite curious, particuarly as they apparently
supply wine to other producers who slap their labels on it and sell it
as their own so I am told.



Okie dokie have a good one,

Mat.

Mat wrote:
Hello Andrew and Ron,

I live just outside of Frankston. Yes yes I know.

Well that saves me from having a crack

Well I think it would be quite interesting meeting you both, but I am

way below your station. Enthusiastic amatuer would perhaps best
describe
me, as I think you will have noticed from my many and much-dribbled
postings.

One of the great beautys of wine appreciation is that in something as
subjective as taste there is no right or wrong. This means there are no
stations, you will taste sometimes with people who are able to name
some of the aromas and flavours whose names elude you. Sometimes you
will be the one to identify an elusive flavour or aroma, having others
to taste with improves the experience.


I've googled previously, and Ron I know you are a big bridge man, but

that is all I can gather. And Andrew without blowing your cover I am
pretty sure I know a bit about you. Does the phrase "white maggot" or

"are you blind" mean anything to you?

Yes, I have to plead guilty to this Mat. I am now too old, too fat &
too slow to play footy so this makes me a perfect field umpire. I run
around on Saturday afternoons in the Southern Football League, mostly
Second & Third Division Seniors.

I'm just joking, I really don't follow that sort of thing that
closely.
Didn't mean to give you flashbacks or anything.

And I'm not a crazy cyber stalker either in case you're wondering.
Its
just nice to build up a picture of some of the characters that hang
around here.

I'm glad you're not a cyber stalker as I was starting to worry


O as an aside, the folks just returned from Adelaide with much booty,

including quite a few bottles of various McLaren Vale which I know is
an
area you love Ron. I managed to liberate a few from the oppresion of
Mum
and Dad's house, and am greatly looking forward to them.

If you are interested I will have a look in the ol' cellar and tell
you
what they are. Mostly ~$20-ish examples, but some of them Halliday
has
rated highly.

It's not just Ron who love McLaren Vale There is some great value
to be had in the Vale for around $20. I was there January last year and
brought back about 6 dozen wines and plenty of mail order forms. I have
a few Mitolo Savitar 2001's that is just the most incredible wine,
intensley fruity with great depth of flavour and complexity. I would
also like to pull the top of a quality Merlot for you Mat.


They also visited Tinlin which blew them away for the quality you
receive for the ridiculous prices. I might have to start a thread on
Tinlin as it has got me quite curious, particuarly as they apparently

supply wine to other producers who slap their labels on it and sell
it
as their own so I am told.

I wasn't familar with Tinlin but Google fixed that up, it does seem
very cheap from what I could find. It is also very common practice for
Winerys to onsell wines they don't wish to market themselves (for any
number of reasons).

Mat if you (and Ron too )are interested in getting together to taste
some wines email me direct & we can exchange phone numbers.
Cheers Andrew