Wine thread

[Bazal]

Heading to Puglia at all?

Not this trip. Already got five full weeks.

But we'll be down around Naples/Amalfi for a week, supposedly quite a bit of the Puglia wines make it over there

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Drinking "The Hills - by Coldstream Hills" Pinot Noir 2017 that I picked up from Bazal & Horrie Hastings Cellars of Clemton Park. $20 on special, down from $26.

Very light bodied Pinot Noir, designed for drinking now or even possibly yesterday. Not a particularly challenging wine, not much in the way of flavour either. Strawberries (sans sewing needles) and other bright red fruit, almost no tannin, and a quick finish. Great if you have a flip top head or have burnt your tongue and need something delicate to get pissed on. Very much designed for the everyday punter who had a win at the TAB rather than someone chasing a good wine, particularly above $20.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Brown Bros 1888 Cab Sauv 2014. My mild OCD got the best of me at the bottlo I work at part time, so the single 2014 got bought to make way for a dozen 2015. Being a Victorian wine, it is much lighter for a Cab Sauv than I like (and probably can't pick up a footy properly either). With that said, some good dark red fruit, a good amount of oak on the nose, but not a lot of tannin that I would expect from any Cabernet. Solid Cab Sauv, but not a $20 wine.

 

[Bazal]

Did a Super Tuscan/Chianti Classico tour today.

My goodness

 

[Bazal]

Haven't bothered to jump on for most wines here, as good as they've been, because either you can't get them in Aus or I deadset have NFI what they brought me when I ordered a glass...

But, 2016 Gaja Promis. A bona fide "super Tuscan", 55% merlot, 35% syrah, 10% sangiovese. Holy balls is this good shit. Had it after a comparable (by price) and older Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto blend and the Gaja absolutely blew it away. Rose, violet, rhubarb, red berries, fennel, slate. Fantastically complex, probably the wine I will look for to bring home...

The wine bar above the Central Market in Florence has Sassicaia by the glass... 30 euros, but I'm sure tempted....

 

[horrie hastings]

Bleasdale sparkling Shiraz, great sparkling red keeping its plummy, aniseed and peppery characteristics with a velvety finish, just beautiful.

 

[Bazal]

I already liked Nero d'Avola before Sicily.

Now I might never drink anything else

That said, the sparkling Grillo we had with dinner was unbelievably good too. It's a rare wine that matches four totally different courses nicely

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Izway Wines Grenache Mataro 2017. Recommended by a customer of mine while I was in store. Super earthy wine, heaps of mushroom & forest floor, a lick of currant, and a mid length finish. Keeps me coming back for more. Would be awesome with a thick T Bone with a robust jus & roast potatoes.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

“Off the Books” Touriga Gundagai 2016. This is a wine drinkers wine. It’s as of Sangiovese rooted a McLaren Vale GSM.

Sweet and sour red, everyone bar a Merlot fanboy can find something to love in this red, and who gives a f**k about anyone that likes Merlot.

Stupidly food friendly, and as a table red with friends it is awesome. Great all round drink.

 

[Bazal]

2017 I think Hill Ridge Pinot Noir.

New exclusive, and one they have specifically bought to sell at half price. So don't go anywhere near it at $36. At $18, though...

This is what the wine buyers came up with;

Floral and delicate with bright red fruit on nose and palate with complexing forest floor and mushroom characters. Bright and lively palate with well integrated tannins and a lingering complex finish.

Look, most of that is absolute horseshit, unsurprisingly. Complexing isn't even a f**king word!

Nose is tart cherry, big whack of oak spice and a lick of vanilla. Very ripe pinot. On the palate the acid is more obvious, in a good way, the same sort of fruit character the driving force and the oak obvious. It's a simple, well balanced, ripe, fruit driven Adelaide Hills Pinot with a clean finish.

I got through a bottle without blinking on a Saturday night, and that's a more effective tasting note than Mr McMarketing Degree could come up with IMO.

 

[horrie hastings]

2017 I think Hill Ridge Pinot Noir.

New exclusive, and one they have specifically bought to sell at half price. So don't go anywhere near it at $36. At $18, though...

This is what the wine buyers came up with;



Look, most of that is absolute horseshit, unsurprisingly. Complexing isn't even a f**king word!

Nose is tart cherry, big whack of oak spice and a lick of vanilla. Very ripe pinot. On the palate the acid is more obvious, in a good way, the same sort of fruit character the driving force and the oak obvious. It's a simple, well balanced, ripe, fruit driven Adelaide Hills Pinot with a clean finish.

I got through a bottle without blinking on a Saturday night, and that's a more effective tasting note than Mr McMarketing Degree could come up with IMO.

Lol, we got 2 cases at work and that’s it, can’t remember whether it’s a short term or long term out of stock but it’s just typical of the company.

 

[horrie hastings]

Speaking of how stuffed the company is, my manager had a screaming match with our area manager who wanted to know why we didn't put Merry Christmas cards on the Graziers run range, FFS no one is going to buy a $5 wine for Christmas presents, I am so over the company and the head dicks who run it.

 

[Bazal]

Speaking of how stuffed the company is, my manager had a screaming match with our area manager who wanted to know why we didn't put Merry Christmas cards on the Graziers run range, FFS no one is going to buy a $5 wine for Christmas presents, I am so over the company and the head dicks who run it.

Haha.

I threw those out.

 

[horrie hastings]

Haha.

I threw those out.

Our bloody area manager demands pics when the displays are set up, that’s when he saw the Graziers didn’t have the cards on them ,lol. That Graziers sem sav just walked out the door all day yesterday and today, really had to guess the order today , sold plenty of cases of the Ned Pinot Gris today, usually we sell it only buy the single or twos but sold plenty by the case today.

 

[Bazal]

Our bloody area manager demands pics when the displays are set up, that’s when he saw the Graziers didn’t have the cards on them ,lol. That Graziers sem sav just walked out the door all day yesterday and today, really had to guess the order today , sold plenty of cases of the Ned Pinot Gris today, usually we sell it only buy the single or twos but sold plenty by the case today.

Oh ours does too.

I just told him Coles must have chucked out the POS pack. Lol. I've been around longer than him and he actually seems to appreciate that. Although I've got my resignation all ready to go, same as you seem to be I'm just jack of it.

We've got our third new store manager in five months. He's lazy and has NFI. Ordered 3 cases each of Grazier and Rapaura, 4 of The Ned Sav and didn't order any for the Thursday delivery. At half price we'd probably sell 60 of the Grazier and 20-30 of the Rapaura and Ned over the fortnight.

I've dropped twenty of them on him tomorrow lol.

 

[horrie hastings]

Oh ours does too.

I just told him Coles must have chucked out the POS pack. Lol. I've been around longer than him and he actually seems to appreciate that. Although I've got my resignation all ready to go, same as you seem to be I'm just jack of it.

We've got our third new store manager in five months. He's lazy and has NFI. Ordered 3 cases each of Grazier and Rapaura, 4 of The Ned Sav and didn't order any for the Thursday delivery. At half price we'd probably sell 60 of the Grazier and 20-30 of the Rapaura and Ned over the fortnight.

I've dropped twenty of them on him tomorrow lol.

Sounds like our place, 3 managers in the last 9 months, our previous one was the laziest p*ick I have ever seen, he kept on blaming everything on the other staff, at least in the end the area manager saw right through him, our current manager is good but so untidy, lol but after our previous manager I can cope with that. Lol, the Pensilva, previous special 2 for $20, this special $10 single, geez these marketers are just great
Enough of the rant, lol.

 

[Bazal]

2016 Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir

Used to be a favourite, then when Tamar started struggling the wines really suffered and I haven't had it since. Thought it was high time....

Belated criticism, the new label sucks. But hey.

Very closed to start, tightly wound sour cherries about all you get. Once it opens it's a belter. Loads of cherry, bunchy crunchy feeling, bit of cedar. It's well balanced but still acidic, needs a few years IMO.

Back on the list!

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Teusner Avatar 2016. Bloody excellent wine, blend of Grenache, Mataro, and Shiraz. Super drinking, delicate tannin with red fruit, milk chocolate, and oak notes. Finish is delicate, medium. You could cellar it, but why bother?

Absolutely one of my favourite wines I've had this year, between that and the Izway Grenache Mataro.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

My wine & cigar New Years night is a bit different this year, as I went for a fortified over a bold red.

Morris Classic Rutherglen Topaque. Classic sultana sweetness, with a candied apricot note and a super long finish. Going very well with a Cohiba Maduro 5.

 

[horrie hastings]

Bago Jazz Red, a beautiful chilled red from Bago winery in Wauchope made from the chambourcin grape, lovely and light for these hideous hot summers day.