Exceptional New Arrivals,
not to be missed...
Today, I am delighted to confirm that our Freemantle container, laden with 6,000 fabulous bottles from the Margaret River, Frankland River and Ferguson Valley (within the Geographe wine region) has arrived at our UK bond. If all goes to plan, we will be dispatching your Cape Landing Blackwood Cabernet Sauvignon orders the week of 13 February. As ever, we will make direct contact regarding the same… The remainder of the wines will be introduced (including two, exciting new agencies) during the coming weeks and months.
Except for delisted wines and agencies, our warehouse clearance sale ends at 9:00am Wednesday 1 February which provides you all with the final opportunity to pick-up a few steals before prices automatically revert to their full RRPs… Both HQ warehouses have shed serious January weight. In fact, one is completely empty. All bare racking and our bespoke Perspex shelving units will be offered for sale to the hospitality industry in the coming weeks. Wine fridges are sold/reserved, as are our five, Enomatic machines. All-in-all, we have achieved everything we had hoped for. Equally, many of you have picked up some absolute bargains. We can pat each other on the back for a job well done. Thank you.
Now, it’s time to enter the next phase by launching all our new wines. In addition, we have received lots of emails requesting release dates for the new 2021 Standish and 2021 Utopos collections. Historically, both producers were released early in our calendar - 2023 is a little different. We will continue to offer both producers via a pre-arrival offer. A firm vessel booking / ETA into the UK will be in place ahead of each launch. This is very important to our trade buyers who are equally keen to receive their allocations. Dan and Nicole Standish are currently enjoying a road trip around the USA and this is the reason why we have not received our ’21 samples. If all goes to plan, we hope to release the full collection late February / early March.
Utopos samples are here and waiting for me however, I am keen to put a dent into existing stocks before I commit to more. That said, we may offer the ’21 Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, MSG and Cabernet / Shiraz blend on a pre-arrival basis only as I am aware many of you are chomping on the bit (as am I). The inaugural release of the standalone Grenache (2021 vintage) is here and launched today along with previous pre-arrival wines sold by-the-case. Now, you pay more, but that’s the advantage of buying in advance… I would ask you to read my text on the heritage of Kym’s Block 1 vineyard which is both fascinating and provides a flavour of the quality. For the sheer hell of it – I re-sampled both vintages this week. My new tasting notes are shown below, but please do not expect radical changes as only a year (or less) has passed…
I mustn’t forget Jaysen Collins of JC’s Own. Equally, as humble and as generous as Kym and a delight to work with. The new collection has arrived however, we are only releasing his new wine, Stratum which not only looks great, but tastes great too. This is a curious development and one which JC and I would love to hear your views. I shan’t spoil the fun – read the below for the full story…
JC's Own 2021 Stratum Shiraz
SHIRAZ, CEMENT FERMENTED, BRIGHT AND JUICY
Jaysen Collins “The Barossa has a love affair with hearty and rich red wines, with Shiraz being the jewel in the crown. Growers have tried other varieties over time that have similar hallmarks of sweetness, richness and ripeness, with Zinfandel being a leading candidate. So, a few decades back you’d find a few Zinfandel plantings popping up in vineyards to see if people would have a thirst for something new. It’s great to try new things, but sometimes you just have to realise tastes are not going to change – classics become classics for a reason.
What to do with these Zinfandel vines then - graft them to Shiraz of course, a layer of new vines on a mature root base. The vineyard I source this from is in my favourite Barossa sub-region, Greenock, where the soils have a layering of red clays over a limestone base. The fruit from this section of the vineyard is aromatic and bright, without the cloying sweetness that some Shiraz and Zinfandels can have!
So layers is a theme with this vineyard story, it would make sense to call this Layers Shiraz. Unfortunately, this was trademarked so I used the Thesaurus and Stratum was the next best thing.”
"...delivers a sophisticated version of a dark and supple red and layers in good detail. Line up for your winter warmer."
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front “From a single site in Greenock of zinfandel grafted to shiraz vines, or some of the vines were zin. The main deal here is that the wine is fermented and aged in cement vessels. It’s meant to be a neck oil, mother’s milk, easier drinking, soft and dark, heartland kinda expression. This feels like a bargain for the matrix of fine, younger gen producer x quality fruit x regional character x deliciousness.
It’s big and bold, all lush and slurpy yet finds some neat tailoring in its web of grippy, emery board tannins. Inky colour, dark scents of ripe plum, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, blackcurrant pastilles, ferrous notes and Ribena. Flavours are similar but it’s all rich and slatternly and plops along with sploshes of ripe Barossa shiraz 101 flavours. Noms, as the kids would say. Does the trick, delivers a sophisticated version of a dark and supple red and layers in good detail. Line up for your winter warmer.”
£26.50 per bottle
Special Launch Price
£23.50 per bottle
Block 3C, Kalimna Vineyard is a very special site indeed. To many, perhaps the most hallowed, identifiable single block in Australia. The 3C component normally contributes to Penfolds Grange however, and when the block produces perfect fruit, Penfolds release Bin 170 which is an extremely rare wine. Released only for the second time in history, both the experimental Bin 170 made in 1973 and the second release in 2010 were sourced from Block 3C in the Kalimna Vineyard and released at $1,800 per bottle.
Previously, we have touched upon the magic of the Utopos vineyard and the reason why Kym has been longing to take this special site under his guardianship. The Cabernet Sauvignon was regularly used for Penfolds Bin 707 and now is selfishly kept for Utopos Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab / Shiraz blend, and for a fraction of the price…
Block 1 (as we released last year), now formally named ‘εutopos’ is crafted around the oldest Shiraz planting on the Utopos site. A tiny one-acre block planted on a red clay and ironstone section of the vineyard in 1974 to the famous Kalimna 3C clone of Shiraz. Now, that’s a secret worth keeping…
You may wonder what a ‘clone’ is and the exact relation to Block 3C, Kalimna. In short, there are two ways to develop a grape vine. Like many plant behaviours there is the sexual reproduction, where two parent plants combine genetic material to create a seed. Germination takes place, and then grows into a vine. Germinating grape seeds can be tricky and is best avoided.
The second and best method is by asexual reproduction, in which a cutting is taken from a single parent plant and grafted onto existing rootstock, which is common practice as resistance to phylloxera is paramount along with the rootstock’s resistance to nematodes, and other factors, such as its environmental tolerance to drought and wetness, which are now major concerns with the impact of global warming.
Essentially, the 1974 Utopos vines are genetically identical clones to the mother vine (Block 3C in the Kalimna Vineyard) they were cut from. The new clones will exhibit similar desired characteristics to those mother vines however, as time passes, new vines may develop their own unique characteristics. Equally, they will also respond to their planting environment. Another successful and well documented case being cuttings taken from Henschke Mount Edelstone vineyard and planted at Hutton Vale Farm. All Standish Lamella fruit is sourced from these specific blocks of Mount Edelstone clones.
We pre-released both the ’18 & ’19 Block 1 / εutopos @ £255.00 IB per case of six (£53.67 per bottle, all in). Kym has just released the ’18 at $250.00 per bottle (circa £175.00) which is no wonder given the clonal heritage and the fashion of releasing uber-expensive prize winners. We cast our minds back to our Zoom call with Kym (Feb ’22) when the discussion of both wines was first broached. Pricing, then, was lofty and I urged Kym to release to his UK market at a considerably reduced level (respecting the wines too). Kym is one of the most generous winemakers we work with and completely understood the situation. Accordingly, you all received an amazing offer – you still do! We paid the price, the wines are now in the UK and we stand by one of our mantras of not taking advantage. Another being to over deliver on wine quality versus their respective sales price, which and in this case, is achieved admirably.
By sheer number of bottles sold (our first release being August 2020) to 23 January 2023, Utopos stands alongside Standish. You have purchased a staggering 7,706 bottles, circa 9 bottles per day, every day since the first launch, which I remember fondly. 28 August 2020 we released ’17 and ’18 Shiraz and sold 480 bottles in a staggering 36-hours. We launched the 2017 and 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon on 2 September 2020, with 240 bottles available to pre-order. This completely sold out within three hours.
With your fantastic support, Utopos wines have quickly established themselves as one of our most important producers. Equally, Kym shares the same view “What can I say??? From day one my dealings with everyone at Vinorium have been effortless, professional and totally enjoyable! Even more enjoyable when their first order of this brand new label sold out before it even hit the shores of the UK and they doubled down with another order! Their launch of Utopos Wines and market activation was second to nothing that I have ever experienced before! Since then, in a time of unequalled world chaos, we have seen the growth of our Utopos wines through Vinorium eclipse those in every other export market. I can’t express the depth of my excitement when thinking about the future of my relationship with Vinorium!”
Pure and simple - This is all down to you…
The ‘18 εutopos is built around the oldest shiraz planting on the site. A few stable mates from other blocks on the vineyard contribute to the wine’s lift, complexity and precise palate. Mataro (9.5%) adds herbal notes, darkness and charcuterie whilst a touch of Grenache (3.5%) allows wafts of brightly scented lifted red fruit to escape the intriguing aromatic. 1.4% Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 5 gives the tannin profile shape and definition whilst also enhancing the mocha notes on the palate. Matured for 20 months in 50% new very tight grained lightly toasted French oak (Allier forest) and 50% second use and then further matured in bottle for 2 years before release, the wine is approachable now but will reward patience.
Winter rainfalls leading into 2018 were above average and filled the soil profiles. The rains then ceased to allow a warm and dry flowering and growing season through February and March. A classic Barossa season resulting in wines that are full and densely flavoured with supportive tannin structure and clean acidity.
98+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “The ’18 vintage delivers extraordinary purity and depth. The bouquet provides richness and power yet the level of refinement on the palate is a masterstroke. This is a fascinating contrast between the ‘18 Utopos Shiraz which we opened to compare. The bouquet is mesmeric and builds and builds in the glass. The heady mix unfurls with sea kelp, graphite, iodine, Indian ink, mineral accented black and blue fruit (almost liqueur-like), spiced fruit cake, dark chocolate, Crème de mûre, mulberry compote and violet. The palate delivers a core of ripe, inky blue and black fruit - black cherry, damson, mulberry wrapped in a cloak of sweet spice and lavender. The layers of fruit amazes – they’re wonderfully expressive, yet it’s the lightness of touch that fascinates and astounds the most. The freshness is perfection personified – the tannins provide grip and shape. The inaugural release is magnificent, and I prefer it to the ’18 Utopos Shiraz. Ideally, cellar for a further 5-10 years however it does drink well today (decant for 4-6 hours) to 2035+. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
2019 wines are brightly fruited and tightly wound with the tannins holding everything in as young wines. An additional 3% of Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon expresses some complexing tobacco leaf and cigar box characters plus 2% Mataro enhancing the blue fruit and herbal notes. Matured for 20 months in 50% new very tight grained lightly toasted French oak (Allier forest) and 50% second use and then further matured in bottle almost 2 years before release. This wine is demanding of a few more years in the cellar before it will show its full expression.
2019 was very low yielding and very high quality. Below average winter rainfalls leading into 2019 combined with a warm (but not hot) growing and harvest season produced low yields of small berried very intense fruit with amazing structure. The cooler than average season protected aromatics and resulted in fresh, bright wines with good acidity.
98++ Points – Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet evokes mineral infused mulberry, damson, blueberry, licorice, cooling graphite, parma violets / violet pastille, menthol, a smidgeon of leather, sweet spices and a floral exoticness to round everything off. Time in the glass / decanter shows off the wine’s pedigree. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied. The mouthfeel is both comforting and evocative. The silkiest tannins imaginable, gently wrap the fruit which is voluptuous, sweet and expansive - everything flows in cooling ribbons of silk. Blue and black fruits dominate with a floral pastille quality – a little crème de cassis and sweet, exotic spice. Overall, there’s a sense of coolness, yet the fruit is sourced from warmer climes. Architecturally, this is built to perfect proportions. Incredible wine and difficult to find fault. This really does deserve 99 points, who am I kidding? Ideally, cellar for a further 5-10 years however it does drink well today to 2035+. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware and sampled over two days.”
Block 1 Packaging
Both Block 1 Shiraz wines arrived in very smart faux-leather (forgive me Kym, if it’s real animal hide), 3-pack cases. This was an unannounced surprise however, and a word of caution – a few cases have suffered a few scrapes. These are great for local shops however, international shipments along with DPD’s TLC doesn’t bode well. Consequently, we are happy to ship the 3-packs in their special cases (tightly wrapped to protect them) however, we are selling the wine and not the cases. There is no recourse for scratches or scratches to the boxes.
2017 Utopos Sparkling Shiraz
Notes from Kym “A very special wine indeed. A celebration of shiraz in its finest form. The Utopos Sparkling Shiraz starts its life as does our still Shiraz. After 18 months in older oak it finds its way into bottle where a secondary fermentation is initiated and the gas is produced and trapped in the wine. We then age the wine on the secondary fermentation yeast lees for around 3 years to maximise texture and complexity before disgorging and sealing under crown seal for absolute certainty that the wine will present exactly as we anticipated – with a perfectly balanced palate of rich fruit and a persistent bead of fine bubbles. Being a vintage wine, the intent is to only make this wine in years in which it is appropriate to do so, so it may not be a continuous vintage by vintage supply.”
96+ - 97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “In short, and with my limited Aussie sparkling Shiraz experience, this is by far my favourite – In fact, this is very good indeed. The bouquet is bold and gallops out of the glass with blackcurrant pastille, poached plum, black cherry, violet, fruitcake, fresh mint, dried spice and the faintest hint of menthol – leather in the background. The palate feel is wonderful – the mousse foams seductively. Without stating the obvious, this is very Utopos in style – big and rich with perfectly judged acidity to provide lift in its step. The quality is unmistakable. The flavours mirror the bouquet. The fruit is rich and poached in a wonderful syrup. Fruitcake and all its plethora of spices emerge at a gentle pace. Very controlled and nothing runs away with itself. This comes sealed under a crown cap which is great for ageing – this will be fantastic in 10-15 years, giving way to gamey complexity. For now, this is downright delicious, fun, fruity, frothy and exuberant. Great summer BBQ wine without being too cliché. Do not overchill. Served using Zalto Universal glassware.”
Pricing:
As with Block 1 – we fixed a price to establish UK traction. Back home, the wine is being offered for $95.00 against our price of
£34.95 per bottle
Special Launch Price
£32.50 per bottle
We asked Kym to tell us about the 2021 Utopos Grenache – “We elected to bottle this wine early in its life to maintain some of that beautiful primary fragrance that is the hallmark of Barossa Grenache and believed that the palate had enough density and complexity to support the early bottling. The Grenache planting sits on perhaps the warmest and leanest part of the vineyard yet still ripens quite slowly and maintains a very balanced chemistry. The wine is medium bodied with supportive tannin and good acidity and requires a good amount of decant time to show its full expression. Matured in mainly 2nd and 3rd use 300 and 500L tight grained French oak there is a little spicy oak influence evident but it by no means overpowers the wine. This is a wine that will definitely benefit from a few more years in the bottle.
2021 Was a wonderful vintage. Almost perfect conditions throughout – Reasonable winter rains, mild warm days, cool nights, a few light rain events at well-timed intervals. An ideal season which resulted in a very calm and easy harvest with fruit ripening slowly and evenly and maintaining an excellent chemistry.”
97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “I was a tad concerned this would not be ready to bottle, yet it’s pitched beautifully and reinforces how great the 2021 Aussie vintage is shaping up. The perfume unfolds beautifully with black raspberry, thyme, spice, sandalwood and orange peel. Give it a few years and the bouquet will be an absolute ripper. Texturally, this is very ‘Utopos’ – silken, fleshy, succulent with the fruit flowing in ribbons of silk. The flavours are long, and the suede-like tannins provide shape. Medium-bodied with lots of brightness – raspberry, black cherry and Campari. An outstanding expression of Grenache although, a few years in the bottle will provide greater interest and complexity. For now, this is downright delicious and a serious bottling (far from those wimpish Grenache bottlings). Decant for 2-3 hours. Drinking now to 2030. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
£34.95 per bottle
Special Launch Price
£30.95 per bottle
Utopos by-the-bottle stock
Please do not panic if our by-the-bottle stock of the new Utopos wines runs low or sells out. We are keeping our stocks at HQ to a minimum but we will be replenishing these regularly from our under-bond stock to ensure we can keep up with customer demand. If the wine you wish to order is out of stock, please drop the team an email and we'll let you know when the next delivery arrives.
2020 S.C. Pannell Old McDonald Grenache
98 points – James Suckling “A rich blueberry fruit nose with violet, dark nectarine and some exotic tamarillo and papaya too. Pungent and distinctive. Read more The palate has a fleshy core of plush fruit with commanding tannins that have so much power and energy but are delivered with grace. The flavors are blood orange, pink grapefruit, goji and red currant and are concentrated to the very end. Refreshing and packed with interest.”
Buy in Bond
£192.00 per case 6x75cl
Pre order available 9.00am Tuesday 31 January
Pleasingly, our largest Zalto order is set to be with us in around four-weeks. We have triple checked and received the following response which is encouraging, “Yours is definitely due to leave Austria next month. So, I cannot see any reason why it will not be with you within 4 weeks of now. As far as I know today - you should receive the complete order you placed.”
Our order is huge – 1,092 glasses with the addition of decanters. We have also ordered a small quantity of Zalto’s Digestif, Water (Stem) and Beer stemware however, we will not offer these until we take physical possession. We are releasing 50% of the remainder of our order which will be available to pre-order from 9:00am Tuesday 31 January. We are suggesting an onward delivery date of early March. The remaining 50% will be released once we have unpacked our order. As ever, an exact date will be provided as soon as our order arrives…
New Zalto Pricing
“After labour, energy is the second biggest cost of production of mouth-blown glassware. Labour and raw material costs have increased as a result of inflation. In spite of rising production costs throughout 2022, Zalto have waited to the last minute to increase their prices. The last review was Mid-2020. As a result, Zalto have been forced to add at least €2 per glass (a little more for the bigger glasses), ex-works, before packaging and transport. Transport to the UK and packaging costs have increased by 25% since Jan 2022.”
There are substantial increases across the entire range. For example, RRPs for the both the Bordeaux and Burgundy stems have risen from £45.00 to £52.00. Universal from £43.50 to £50.00. We believe the prices are justifiable and compared to Riedel’s handblown range, remain a relative bargain. Yet, we feel it’s not necessarily the right time to increase prices by circa 15%. Instead, and in all respect to Zalto RRPs, we will release all stemware at or very close to last year’s prices. Principally, we will absorb the loss of profit. As a point of reference, we will show Zalto’s new RRPs on each product. Important note: our next delivery / allocation will be sold at the new RRPs…
We're hugely appreciative of the positive reviews which continue to flow in. We never tire of reading your kind words about what we do and the wines you are enjoying. Below are are few of our most recent customer reviews...
We are also continuing to pull one review from the hat each month to win a couple of fabulous bottles as a thank you. The winning review from December came from Neeraj who will be receiving his wines this week.
December's Winning Review - Neeraj
"I just wanted to say thank you for the delivery. It arrived as always as promised in perfect condition. I’ve been buying from the vinorium for a few years now and though I’m sure I am not one of your bigger buyers I am grateful for the excellent reliability I have always received. Whenever I’ve managed to save up enough overtime to buy a treat from you guys the part I enjoy the most is getting home to see a box waiting for me to open. And then of course the planning on when to share it with friends and family!
I’m lucky enough to have gotten the chance to live for a while in Adelaide and fell in love with the wine out there. It’s fantastic that you provide an opportunity to keep the link to such a happy part of our family history alive and well.
Please keep up the good work, the entertaining newsletters and I’m only sorry I can’t afford to indulge in the high end of your catalogue - but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy looking at them!"
Our recent customer reviews...
David
"In a world of corporate blandness, I love the Vinorium for its informality, for the candour of Stu's regular emails, and its efficient staff who are always rapid to respond. Have I missed anything? Oh yes, the wine. I stumbled on the Vinorium when I wanted some Eileen Hardy chardonnay to send a friend so we could toast his engagement (over Zoom, during lockdown). I've never looked back - I grew up in South Australia but I'm still discovering reds I've never heard of through the Vinorium."
Steven
"I don't normally do reviews but, I felt I should give credit where credit is due. Such an ever-changing range of highly competitively priced top-quality wines, along with a very efficient delivery service. The user-friendly website and weekly informative emails are always a joy to peruse. I discovered The Vinorium back in 2019 completely by chance as I was looking for a single Zalto Denk-Art Bordeaux glass online and low and behold I not only found the glass at the best price online or anywhere else for that matter but I uncovered the treasure trove that is the Vinorium happy days indeed! I only wish I had more spare cash so I could buy more wine, more often.. so many tempting bottles!"
Lisa
"Vinorium is my go to wine shop for Australian wines. Nowhere in the UK has a better selection. The website is easy to navigate and informative. Any queries are answered straight away. Delivery is quick and the bottles always arrive in great condition."
Darren
"Always amazing service from Stu and the team! Fantastic wines, service, price and delivery speed too. I love Stu's weekly update emails too which are always fascinating, honest and insightful - thanks for doing what you all do!"
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