 As Simple as One Word: Magnificent Selfishly, 2020 will be remembered for the year which produced a string of amazing wines, those which form part of our ‘exclusive’ portfolio and those which have recently joined. We have mentioned the exciting additions from Mulline and Elderton Wines (the official launch being Sunday 6 September although the wines are available to browse and purchase today). We have recently partnered with more, great Aussie producers including the organic and biodynamic producer, Gemtree (from the McLaren Vale) – the entire flight of samples seriously impressed. At the ‘top’ of the collection is an extraordinary wine named Subterra, a single barrel of seductive Shiraz buried beneath their McLaren Vale vines. For me, this is one of the best wines I have sampled for a very long time and certainly rivals all the iconic names. From Tasmania, we offer a warm welcome to Grey Sands, which is a small family owned vineyard located on the western edge of the Tamar Valley, Northern Tasmania. Owners Bob and Rita strive to make wines that excite the senses; concentrated, complex, intriguing and sometimes confronting. We absolutely loved their wines which all showed such individuality (Their Blanc de Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are majestical). As I write, part one of our Ghost Rock order is leaving Tassie and making its way to the port of Adelaide. Part two (the sparkling beauties) will be leaving mid-September and with a tail wind, will be with us for Christmas. From Victoria, we welcome the cult producer, Wantirna Estate who impressed the socks off us all. Allocations are tight but they are deeply impressive, incredibly considered and are as close as the Aussies will get to the wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Highly sophisticated… Despite our best efforts, our table of samples never diminishes and is a sight for sore eyes. We are utterly spoilt with some amazing producers – Bekkers (McLaren Vale), Shadowfax (Victoria), Amato Vino (Margaret River), Turon and Coulter (Adelaide Hills), Bass River (Gippsland, Victoria), Smallfry (Barossa), Picardy (Pemberton) and Deviation Road (just the fizz to sample - their still wines were sensational). Printhie (Orange NSW) and House of Cards (Margaret River) will be arriving with us to sample this week.  To date, The Vinorium exclusively represents 35 Aussie producers which we believe is a wonderful achievement and testament to the fact that Australian wine will always have a welcome home in the UK…  But we have a problem with one producer which has left us scratching our heads somewhat. In short, the wines are quite extraordinary and should command a price of £50.00 or more. However, they are nowhere near this level. We believe all our wines overdeliver on quality versus their respective price however, these wines are in a league all of their own. Controlling sales will be a difficult as I truly believe we could sell our full allocation of each wine within a matter of days. Some customers will understandably wish to sample a bottle or two before returning to purchase by the case. However, and what is now becoming a tricky situation, our ‘top’ wines sell out within weeks, leaving many disappointed.
On Friday 28 August we released half of our allocation (240 bottles of each Shiraz) with a special pre-arrival offer, thus making this launch extra exciting. I thought it would be fun to provide our tasting notes, and nothing else. We started with the Shiraz duo with the Cabernet Sauvignon and MSGs launching next week (dates are below). To our surprise all 480 bottles sold out in less than 48 hours, leaving many customers without these magnificent wines.
We have been inundated by customer requests to release the second tranche and we are happy to oblige. Our entire shipment is on the water with an ETA to our HQ warehouse week commencing 5 October 2020.
Please pay particular attention to the decanting times (adding a few additional hours will only help) and your glassware choice is super-important. We sampled using Zalto Bordeaux glassware. An inferior glass will simply provide a mediocre result! What I will say is, if you love Dan Standish’s wines, you will fall in love with these… "I should award 100 points as I have never sampled a wine this good, at this price level" 2017 'Mystery' Shiraz Offer 98-99 Points - Stuart McCloskey “The integration of fruit, acid, tannin and oak is amazing especially considering the wine is so young. It needs time in a decanter (4-6 hours, perhaps longer) to unlock the bouquet which unfurls with floral notes, violets, blackberry pastille, cola, Indian ink, iron and mineral driven earthy aromas too. The combination of power and finesse is bewitching as is the densely packed fruit which weaves magic on my palate. The fruit is rich, but impeccably balanced. Expansive whilst retaining seamlessness. A skyscraper but one which offers agility. A depth which is already impressive yet has a very long way to go. The flavours match those found on the nose with violets, blackberry pastille and flowers leading. Sweet spices, a core of juicy acidity and the grip of silky tannins compliment. There is no end to this wine – it just keeps giving. I am genuinely left speechless considering the price for this bottle. This is my second bottle and my notes are equal. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware. Drink now (you must decant) and this will certainly get better and better over the coming 10-20 years. I should award 100 points as I have never sampled a wine this good, at this price level however, and wrongly so, I am reluctant for this one reason.” 99+ Points - Magda Sienkiewicz "Sampled after 4 hours of decanting. The perfume oozing from the glass immediately stops you in your tracks. Clearly you are in presence of an extraordinary wine. Predominantly Shiraz with a dash of Mataro (10%), the nose is super-expressive with a vast array of fruit, blueberry liqueur and intoxicating notes of iron, pen ink, lead pencil, graphite, warm earth and violets. The palate is extremely juicy and mirrors the rich aromas in a impressive harmony. Incredibly complex, yet you can’t escape the sense of elegance and polish to the minute detail. Such a compelling wine of soaring quality and allure. Mesmerising and breathtaking, this wine takes a firm place in my top 5 Shiraz wines of all time. I can’t resist an extra plus for extraordinary value."  91 bottles available at £34.95 per bottle It will be one of the best buys of 2020
 "In some ways, it possesses the same DNA found in the ’18 Standish collection." 2018 'Mystery' Shiraz Offer 99 Points - Stuart McCloskey “This is simply off the charts in terms of aromatic concentration. Save for the Standish collection, this is as concentrated as it gets. The bouquet is brooding and invites you in with an intense and warming hug filled with spiced dark fruits, wonderful florals (more so than the 2017), violets, confit blue and blackberry, graphite, Indian ink, asphalt – I could quite honestly keep going! The palate is drenched with sweet, ripe black fruits underpinned with a little tart berry quality which contrasts perfectly. Bitter notes of coffee and chocolate, crushed redcurrant, wood smoke, and that tell-tale floral / blackberry pastille. The concentration is extraordinary and I love the chew from the tannins which is very much needed. There’s lots of sweet spiced fruit too and the sense of symmetry is beguiling. In some ways, it possesses the same DNA found in the ’18 Standish collection. Yet another ‘as good as it gets and should be north of fifty-quid.’ I should award 100 points… Decant for 4-6 hours. This will live for 20-30 years and I imagine will be at its best around 2040.” 98-99 Points - Magda Sienkiewicz "Sampled after 4 hours of decanting. The perfume is truly opulent and incredibly inviting. The intense nose bursts with dark plums and plentiful berries (cranberry, blackberry and more), cassis liqueur, ink with a whiff of liquorice, dried herbs and a gentle floral lift. In fact, it is so complex that you will discover something new each each time you go back to it. The palate is lavish and impressively complete for such a young wine. Layers of fruit wash across my palate with a delectable sweet entry which later transforms to a savoury edge. A lick of graphite adds to the immense depth of this wine and the length is truly breathtaking. It’s incredible how a wine of such scale remains utterly unctuous without losing its composure. Utterly magnificent today, it will evolve beautifully for decades, but only if you have unyielding levels of patience. "  99 bottles available at £34.95 per bottle It will be one of the best buys of 2020
 Coming Next Week  To keep the mysterious theme alive, we plan to unveil the 2017 & 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon on Wednesday 2 September. On Friday 4 September, we debut two of the best MSG’s (Mataro, Shiraz and Grenache) to cross our path in years. Until then, may I wish you a fabulous weekend filled with great Aussie wines (we’re enjoying a holiday too hence the short read!) Cheers, Stu |
