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The New 2019 Collection from:
I had every intention of spending a few weeks in Australia which included spending a few days with Kym – we had planned to blend our exciting, joint venture label / wine together however, and perfectly understandably, this will have to wait until next year. Nonetheless, Kym and I are in regular contact and I was keen to hear his personal views on the 2019s, now they are bottled “I am loving the 2019 wines. I see them as a combination of the best parts of the 2016 and 2018 vintages. Bright acidities, firm and supportive tannins with amazing richness and fruit weight that envelops the palate. They truly are wines that are drinking well upon release but will be so much better with some time maturing in bottle. 2019 saw drought conditions throughout winter that led to very low yields across the entire Barossa. Spring frosts were followed by warm windy flowering conditions and resulted in even lower crop levels. Warm to hot ripening conditions ensured nice ripe fruit with full phenological ripeness. The resultant wines are concentrated and intense in every way."
Sampling the 2019s at the winery was high on my agenda too however, Kym kindly airfreighted the finished wines across for the team and I to enjoy. We received two bottles of each wine which is very handy if one bottle is corked (highly doubtful, but it does happen with expensive, modern corks). Additionally, wine can suffer from what is known as ‘bottle shock.’ Essentially, wines can display muted signs, both aromatically and from a flavour perspective, and may be suffering from this short-term issue. However, this normally dissipates after a few weeks. This is a direct result of wine that has recently left the comfort of their barrel / tank and been injected into their awaiting bottle, labelling machine, packaged and shipped around the globe. Of course, it must be said that many great wines are crafted with age in mind – a wine which has the ability to develop for decades will not be leaping with joy in the early years. It is also worth noting that wines that are shipped over long distances are more prone to ‘bottle shock.’
Sample session one; Ordinarily, most producers prefer to wait six months prior to releasing their newly bottled wine, and Kym is no exception. But, and with Covid restrictions, Kym was happy to let a six pack loose as we have a deep understanding of wine. Magda and I sat with each wine (over two days) and sampled, and resampled. Qualitatively speaking, they are sensational and the 2019s will thrill you all. My descriptions are accurate and provide a detailed account for each wine. With time, I believe the Shiraz and Cabernet / Shiraz blend may merit a higher score as I found both wines tougher to sample. I plan to resample the collection again in a month or so as I am keen to see if more R&R will provide a different outcome. I will, of course, share my full tasting notes post sample session two.
For now, I hope you enjoy our tasting notes…
Cheers,
Stu
Getting down to the nitty-gritty…
*Only 50% of our allocation is being offered in advance – the balance will be offered once physically landed in the UK.
The pound sterling is enduring a period of turbulence nonetheless, we have managed to retain the same pre-arrival and physical prices as per our 2017 and 2018 offerings.
Under bond prices (Excludes UK duty & VAT)
Choose this option for delivery into the EU and for under bond storage.
Alternatively, pay the duty & VAT if you plan to take ‘domestic’ delivery upon arrival – The price is clearly shown by each wine.
*All duty paid six packs will be delivered via our HQ / DPD without charge (mainland UK only)
1. If you wish for your wines to be delivered, please select the DP option when ordering and include your delivery address and any delivery instructions and we will ship your wines with DPD, upon arrival, free of charge.
2. If you wish to transfer your wines to your own bonded account, please include the details on your order and again we will automatically transfer your wines upon arrival.
3. If you wish to store these wines with The Vinorium, please select this option at checkout. No storage charges will be applied at this time and we will contact you when the wine arrives to raise your storage invoice.
Special Pre-Arrival Offer
• £146.50 IB per case of 6x75cl which represents extraordinary value. Unrivalled if truth be known…
The prices for the 2019 collection
once arrived in the UK
• £165.00 IB per case of 6x75cl
• £34.95 per bottle (duty paid and inc VAT)
What is available to purchase?
100 x Cases (each) of the following:
• 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2019 Shiraz
• 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz (70/30 blend)
99 Points - Stuart McCloskey “This is blessed with an incredibly intense, powerful nose, which and after a few hours in a decanter unveils the sweetest of mineral soaked fruits (blackberries, boysenberries, mulberry and a compote edge to the blueberry). There’s an exotic sweetness to the aromatic spices which flow with star anise and candied violets. Graphite in profusion along with black olive tapenade, salinity and wafts of camphor and liquorice. The palate is equally intense and powerful, and yet there is a sense of wonderful definition and heavenly focus that marks it out differently from many young Aussie Cabernets. This is the creamiest, richest and certainly the most voluminous wine in the 2019 Utopos collection which unfolds with layer upon layer of the most luxurious silky fruits. Wonderfully structured too. The tannins are velvety, and I love the freshness which adds brightness to the mouthfeel. I detect a little minerality on the epically long finish. No wonder grapes from this hallowed vineyard found their way into Penfolds Bin 707. This cannot fail to impress and will comfortably cellar for 15-20 years. Simply magnificent. Decant for 4-6 hours. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
98+ - 99+ Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz “Wonderful deep colour. The perfume is superbly concentrated with combinations of red and black fruit, liquorice and mint. The tension is simply incredible – you’ll find supple sweetness, rich fruit, coolness of the iron, sweet spices, as well as notes of herbs and flowers. Dark fruity chocolate also comes to mind. Black berries and rich cherry liqueur open the palate which is just as multi-dimensional and layered as the perfume. What a magnificent wine. I think this has the edge for me in the Utopos line up at this stage and I’m dying to see how it develops. No rush though, as this is a real beauty even in its youth. You could probably write a book on all its flavours and aromatic nuances but I will step back and allow you to discover this sensational wine for yourself. Decant, sniff and sip over a long, relaxing evening. Sampled over several hours on the first and second day after opening, using Zalto Bordeaux glassware”.
98 – 98+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Monolithic and will be revered by those seeking unadulterated hedonism. Wow, so explosively rich – I was left speechless after my first sip. Anyhow, I am jumping the gun and must discuss the bouquet which provides a completely different aspect. Brooding, incredibly dense but there’s either a coyness or reticence which I am struggling to put my finger on. Warmed oyster shell, sea kelp, warm earth, graphite and a deep sense of mineralité. Totally fascinating and a wine which will develop an unfathomable number of aromas if you have the endurance to enjoy a glass over 24 hours. The palate is full-bodied, unpretentious, explosive, very rich, firm with taut grip from fine grained tannins (very much required to keep a handle on the ripe, dense fruit which could run amok without some control). Today, this provides the merest of glimpses into the incredible depth of flavours. The ripe, black fruits are multi-layered and drench the palate with oodles of wild blueberry compote, the sweetest of raspberry along with mulberry, sloe and damson. To say the finish is epically long would be an understatement, the same applies to the enriching perfume which keeps evolving. As I stated at the beginning – this is opulently hedonistic, yet it provides an intellectual fragrance (so savoury and very ‘marine’ against a bing-bang-bosh of excessively ripe fruit). This is simply magnificent but does need time in the cellar to come together. Again, this is another 2019 Utopos which I look forward to re-evaluating in 6 months. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
98-99 Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz “Even after 24 hours in a decanter (sealed overnight), the perfume is super vibrant and ultra-concentrated. Deeply mineral with iron ore, tons of fruit and fragrant spices. It is difficult to pin down each and every flavour which tantalises the taste buds. The sheer power and tension is impressive as it is not over the top at all and it holds together with much confidence and composure. This is clearly a very young wine, but you must admire how complete it is today. Many iconic wines require years, sometimes decades to offer a pleasurable drinking experience and reveal their beauty. This is different, deeply impressive and it will certainly be wonderful to watch its progress. Sampled over several hours on the first and second day after opening, using Zalto Bordeaux glassware”.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz (70/30 blend)
Without doubt, this is a beautiful creation for Vinorium customers only. Call it a world exclusive and not necessarily an annual release as each component must be magnificent to create a greater ‘one’. Kym and I also wanted to provide a subtle change to the bottle and label décor which signifies how special we believe this wine to be. Only 1,200 bottles were produced.
98 – 98+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “And now to the most structured of the trio, which is not a negative. The bouquet is brooding to put it mildly and needs aeration (4-6 hours minimum) to reveal its glorious aromatics. Savoury at first with a marine / kelp character which I am immensely fond of. Intensely mineral – the black fruits are mineral soaked too. A little liquorice creeps in which compliments the cold iron ore character marvellously. Scorched earth and blueberry compote on the finish. Tightly wound, focused, providing a firm grip with not a single hair out of place is the best way to describe the intellect of this wine. The flavours offer an intriguing assortment from Chinese five spice, a soupçon of clove, anise, cinnamon bark infused with damson, plum and black raspberry – quite delectable when you bring the collection together. The mineral rich finish is a dream. Unquestionably, this is a multi-layered, multidimensional masterpiece that really needs time in the bottle to fully develop (I suggest 5-10 years minimum, but it does drink rather well today if you heed the decanting notice). This is just superb with a bright and very long life ahead. I am looking forward to re-sampling in the next 6-12 months as I am conscious this has just been bottled and endured a long journey to our tasting room – my ‘opening’ score reflects this fact. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”
98+ Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz “The perfume is deep and evocative offering an alluring mixture of cherries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, cranberries, aromatic spice mix and plenty of minerals. There is a gentle sweetness on entry before the wine expands and reveals supple textures flowing with perfectly judged weight. I love the way it straddles between the wonderful characteristics of each variety, marrying all nuances beautifully. In fact, I kept coming back to my tasting notes over a few hours to adjust them with the newly emerging aromas and flavours, but it’s too early to give them the justice they deserve. Above all, simply sit back and allow the wine to blossom in the glass, decanter or indeed the cellar, then enjoy the journey. Sampled over several hours on the first and second day after opening, using Zalto Bordeaux glassware”.
Can I purchase by the bottle?
At this stage no, as the administration involved with ‘by-the-bottle’ orders is too convoluted for pre-arrival specials however, we are keen not to penalise customers wishing to purchase smaller quantities. As such, we have collated two, mixed cases (only available duty paid and prices include VAT).
• 2 x bottles 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz (70/30 blend)
• 2 x bottles 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2 x bottles 2019 Shiraz
• 4 x bottles 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz (70/30 blend)
• 4 x bottles 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 4 x bottles 2019 Shiraz
We also provide you with an opportunity to snaffle a few large formats, which are presented in very handsome original wooden cases (as pictured above). Please note: We will only be shipping stocks to accommodate your orders – We will not be sitting on stocks ourselves. We cannot accept large format orders after 9:00am Friday 16 April.
All Prices are shown Under Bond (Without UK Duty & VAT, and Delivery Charge)
Magnums (1.5L) £76.95
Double Magnums (3L) £135.00
• 2017: 30 Magnums & 3 Double Magnums
• 2018: 120 Magnums & 60 Double Magnums
• 2018: 120 Magnums, 60 Double Magnums
Departing Adelaide 22 April. ETA into the UK 2 June 2021. We envisage the wines will be physically available for delivery week of 14 June however, we will provide updates closer to their arrival date.
When does the Pre-Arrival special offer
come to an end?
Strictly 9:00am Friday 16 April which provides plenty of time to secure your discounted allocation.
See our current and physical Utopos offerings
Meet Kym, the magician behind
such an amazing collection
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