Hi, this is my first post here. I have had a good experience of sharing knowledge at
alt.guitar.bass and I hope that this NG may be similar.
Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There is a cab, a
shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am I likely
to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about 1/3 off
retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
Thanks,
Ian

"Ian Hayward" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, this is my first post here. I have had a good experience of sharing
knowledge at
> alt.guitar.bass and I hope that this NG may be similar.
> Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There
is a cab, a
> shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am
I likely
> to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about
1/3 off
> retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
> Thanks,
> Ian
Ian: I have had the T.H. Shiraz on several occasions & have it on my wine
list. If you can get it for 1/3 retail price, go for it. Good Quality,
drink now &/or cellar for (in my humble opinion) up to 5 years.

enjoy
mathew

I've had the pleasure of the Shiraz and it was worth it. I've also heard
that any "Penfolds" is also of the highest quality.

Mark G

"Mathew Kagis" > wrote in message
news:3KG9c.27511$Ct5.15205@edtnps89...
>
> "Ian Hayward" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi, this is my first post here. I have had a good experience of sharing
> knowledge at
> > alt.guitar.bass and I hope that this NG may be similar.
> > Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There
> is a cab, a
> > shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so
am
> I likely
> > to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of
about
> 1/3 off
> > retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
> > Thanks,
> > Ian
> Ian: I have had the T.H. Shiraz on several occasions & have it on my wine
> list. If you can get it for 1/3 retail price, go for it. Good Quality,
> drink now &/or cellar for (in my humble opinion) up to 5 years.
>
> enjoy
> mathew
>
>

Ian Hayward wrote:

> Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There is a cab, a
> shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am I likely
> to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about 1/3 off
> retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.

Ian,
The Penfolds lineup is extensive and generally quite good. If you haven't done so
already, you should take a look at their excellent website: http://www.penfolds.com.
The Thomas Hyland range is designed to be more ambitious than the Koonunga range of
wines, and more or less in between The Valleys and Kalimna. What this means in
practice is that the Thomas Hyland Shiraz tends to be a bit simpler and less ageworthy
than the Kalmina (of which I'm a fan), but quite a nice wine for immediate
consumption. I'd expect that the same is true for the others, but I don't have
firsthand experience with them.

HTH
Mark Lipton

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 21:58:37 GMT, Mark Lipton > took
the time to tell us :

>
>
>Ian Hayward wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There is a cab, a
>> shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am I likely
>> to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about 1/3 off
>> retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
>
>Ian,
> The Penfolds lineup is extensive and generally quite good. If you haven't done so
>already, you should take a look at their excellent website: http://www.penfolds.com.
>The Thomas Hyland range is designed to be more ambitious than the Koonunga range of
>wines, and more or less in between The Valleys and Kalimna. What this means in
>practice is that the Thomas Hyland Shiraz tends to be a bit simpler and less ageworthy
>than the Kalmina (of which I'm a fan), but quite a nice wine for immediate
>consumption. I'd expect that the same is true for the others, but I don't have
>firsthand experience with them.
>
>HTH
>Mark Lipton

Mark, what are the "Valleys" from Penfolds? Is this a name for an
export wine? In Oz, they have bottom end with Rawsons and Koonunga
Hill, Hyland in the middle (a deliberate attempt to enter the growing
$15-20AUD segment), then the bin range (including kalimna 28, 128,
389, 407, 707), with of course Grange atop the pile.

Regards Swooper

Swoooper @bulldogkennel.com wrote:
>
> Mark, what are the "Valleys" from Penfolds? Is this a name for an
> export wine? In Oz, they have bottom end with Rawsons and Koonunga
> Hill, Hyland in the middle (a deliberate attempt to enter the growing
> $15-20AUD segment), then the bin range (including kalimna 28, 128,
> 389, 407, 707), with of course Grange atop the pile.

Swoop,
"The Valleys" is a Penfolds Chardonnay. See their website for
details. It doesn't appear to be export-only, but then what do I know?

Mark Lipton

the value for money in the group is 389 and 407 - the 707 is excellent, but
pricey

depending on vintage, naturally

MAUOMBO

Ian, would you mind sharing with us where this offer is available? Sounds
like a good deal...

"Ian Hayward" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, this is my first post here. I have had a good experience of sharing
knowledge at
> alt.guitar.bass and I hope that this NG may be similar.
> Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There
is a cab, a
> shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am
I likely
> to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about
1/3 off
> retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
> Thanks,
> Ian
>
>

The offer is on all three of the TH range at the UK "Makro Wholesale" chain. Makro
is a trade-only wholesaler. Unlike some similar outlets their "cardholders only"
policy is strictly enforced, and evidence of genuine business activity (e.g.
suppliers' invoices) is required to obtain a card. If you qualify, or know a
cardholder, savings can be considerable. This particular offer prices the TH range
at £6.26 a bottle (including VAT) against a typical retail of £8.99. They have some
good stuff from time to time, Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV at about £7.50 a bottle being a
recent example. Please don't run the Coventry store out!

Thank you all for your advice - I shall buy with confidence. I find that Kalimna is
best at about 5 to 8 years old. I am enjoying the 1997 at the moment. Sadly I
didn't get any of the excellent 1998 vintage, and I have yet to try the '99. The
recommendation to drink the TH slightly younger is particularly helpful.

Regards,
Ian


"Michael Bartlett" > wrote in message
news:1080560968.932768@shiraz...
> Ian, would you mind sharing with us where this offer is available? Sounds
> like a good deal...
>
> "Ian Hayward" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi, this is my first post here. I have had a good experience of sharing
> knowledge at
> > alt.guitar.bass and I hope that this NG may be similar.
> > Does anyone have any experience of Penfolds' Thomas Hyland range? There
> is a cab, a
> > shiraz and a chardonnay. I am a BIG fan of Kalimna and The Valleys, so am
> I likely
> > to be impressed by these? A UK wholesaler currently has an offer of about
> 1/3 off
> > retail price, so I'm thinking a case of each would be good.
> > Thanks,
> > Ian
> >
> >
>
>

In article >, "Ian Hayward"
> writes:

>I find that Kalimna is
>best at about 5 to 8 years old. I am enjoying the 1997 at the moment. Sadly
>I
>didn't get any of the excellent 1998 vintage, and I have yet to try the '99

I have a bottle of the '97 Bin 28. Ready to go, huh? Thanks, will move into
queue.
I find '97 Shirazes a good example of why vintage charts are good for
generalities, not specific wines. Although clearly a lesser year, I've had some
quite nice '97s (Leasingham Bin 61 is another besides the Penfolds Kalimna).
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

On 29 Mar 2004 19:24:42 GMT, amnspam (Dale Williams)
took the time to tell us :

>In article >, "Ian Hayward"
> writes:
>
>>I find that Kalimna is
>>best at about 5 to 8 years old. I am enjoying the 1997 at the moment. Sadly
>>I
>>didn't get any of the excellent 1998 vintage, and I have yet to try the '99
>
>I have a bottle of the '97 Bin 28. Ready to go, huh? Thanks, will move into
>queue.
>I find '97 Shirazes a good example of why vintage charts are good for
>generalities, not specific wines. Although clearly a lesser year, I've had some
>quite nice '97s (Leasingham Bin 61 is another besides the Penfolds Kalimna).
>Dale
>
>Dale Williams
>Drop "damnspam" to reply

Goes right across the board Dale. After the legendary 98 vintages in
Oz, some excellent 99's appeared, but did not sell quickly, (I guess
like me, most retailers were stocked to the max with 98's...:>)). As
time rolls on, we are seeing how underrated some 99's were. The
Margaret River Cabernets for example from 99 are drinking superbly
now, and will outstrip many of the much vaunted 98's in the long haul.

Regards...Swooper

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 00:00:08 -0500, Mark Lipton >
took the time to tell us :

>Swoooper @bulldogkennel.com wrote:
>>
>> Mark, what are the "Valleys" from Penfolds? Is this a name for an
>> export wine? In Oz, they have bottom end with Rawsons and Koonunga
>> Hill, Hyland in the middle (a deliberate attempt to enter the growing
>> $15-20AUD segment), then the bin range (including kalimna 28, 128,
>> 389, 407, 707), with of course Grange atop the pile.
>
>Swoop,
> "The Valleys" is a Penfolds Chardonnay. See their website for
>details. It doesn't appear to be export-only, but then what do I know?
>
>Mark Lipton

Well it does exist, but I have not seen it. It either reflects my
disdain towards 90% of Oz chards, (thanks to their penchant for over
oaking), and thus little interest, or reflects slackness from my
Southcorp rep's efforts. Looks like I'll have to get a sample from
the lad and see what it is like. I did misunderstand your OP, as I
thought you were suggesting the "Valleys" was a range of wines,
including Reds.

Regards ...Swooper

OK, so I bought a case of each. Here's the TN for the Cab (2001), which is the only
one I've tried so far.
Open one hour and decanted.
The nose is predominantly mint on a solid background of coal and tar. The first hit
on the palate is still minty, with a robust prune chewiness and a huge tannic bite.
Off-bitter chocolate rises as the tannin subsides, and the finish is medium to long
with more dry tannins. I shall leave the rest of this alone for at least another two
years. The Chardonnay gets its turn tomorrow.
Whilst buying that lot I came upon an even bigger bargain - one bottle only (shame!)
of Penfolds Bin 407 Cab, 1998, on the "clearance" shelf at an incredible £7.00! My
19 year old son is honing his taste as the only fresher on the Oxford University wine
society's tasting team, so I guess this is one for his 30th birthday.
Regards,
Ian

<Swoooper @bulldogkennel.com> wrote in message
...
> On 29 Mar 2004 19:24:42 GMT, amnspam (Dale Williams)
> took the time to tell us :
>
> >In article >, "Ian Hayward"
> > writes:
> >
> >>I find that Kalimna is
> >>best at about 5 to 8 years old. I am enjoying the 1997 at the moment. Sadly
> >>I
> >>didn't get any of the excellent 1998 vintage, and I have yet to try the '99
> >
> >I have a bottle of the '97 Bin 28. Ready to go, huh? Thanks, will move into
> >queue.
> >I find '97 Shirazes a good example of why vintage charts are good for
> >generalities, not specific wines. Although clearly a lesser year, I've had some
> >quite nice '97s (Leasingham Bin 61 is another besides the Penfolds Kalimna).
> >Dale
> >
> >Dale Williams
> >Drop "damnspam" to reply
>
> Goes right across the board Dale. After the legendary 98 vintages in
> Oz, some excellent 99's appeared, but did not sell quickly, (I guess
> like me, most retailers were stocked to the max with 98's...:>)). As
> time rolls on, we are seeing how underrated some 99's were. The
> Margaret River Cabernets for example from 99 are drinking superbly
> now, and will outstrip many of the much vaunted 98's in the long haul.
>
> Regards...Swooper

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 16:23:17 -0500, not4wood wrote:

> I've also heard that any "Penfolds" is also of the highest quality.

You haven't tried their Rawson's Retreat range, then


- Anthony