Issue: 62 / Sunday 17 March, 2019
Tickets for our first,
portfolio tasting are now ‘live’
The Venue: 67 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ES
The Date: Saturday 28 September 2019
Commences: 11:00am to 5:00pm
150 + wines including the following producers
From Australia: Standish, Hoddles Creek, Two Hands, Flowstone, Wild Duck Creek, Henschke, Nocturne, Deep Woods, Glaetzer-Dixon, Dr Edge, Hobbs, Watershed, Torbreck, Greenock Creek, Powell & Son, St Hallett, Tatiarra and so much more…
From New Zealand: Devotus, Valli, Akitu, Dog Point, Muddy Water, Pegasus Bay, Novum, Giesen and more…
From the USA: DuMOL, Orin Swift, Louis M Martini, RAEN, Chanin Wines, Gramercy Cellars, Paul Lato, Ramey, Beringer and more…
Customers of The Vinorium are invited with our compliments however, we would request that you are respectful of our T&Cs for free entry.
1. You have a placed an order (within the past 6 months) to the minimum
value of £100
2. We acknowledge that many of our customers enjoy our wines with their spouses. Therefore, we extend a free ticket to your partner only
3. A maximum of two complimentary tickets will be issued per household
4. 100 complimentary tickets will be available on a strictly first come, first served basis, please note that your ticket is not secured until you receive your confirmation e-ticket.
50 additional tickets are available for non-Vinorium customers / friends /
family etc.
These are offered on a first come,
first served basis.
The 'Icon' Ticket Upgrade
Regardless, of whether you obtain a complimentary customer ticket or purchase a guest ticket to our tasting, we are also offering a limited number of opportunities to taste at our super-special table and these require the purchase of The ‘Icon’ upgrade (should you wish to sample the range on offer).
Only 50 tickets are available, these must be purchased in advance and without sounding a meany, you can only sample the range once as it is important that all 50 customers experience the most iconic wines from Australia.
10 wines including; 1999 Henschke Hill of Grace, Penfolds Grange, Torbreck Run Rig, Clarendon Hills Astralis, Two Hands My Hands & a few more treats…
Tasmania has been an incredibly exciting region for us with several discoveries made and added to our list of exclusives last year. We are continuing to look at the Apple Isle, its potential as one of the world’s most exciting regions for premium wine production has only just begun to be tapped. There are several more Tasmanian producers that we are in talks with in the hope to exclusively represent the very
best Tasmania has to offer.
Positioned just over 400 km from mainland Australia’s south-east coast, Tasmania has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the world’s most premium, cool climate wine regions. With vineyard sites positioned on the north and south-east sides of the island taking full advantage of the cool, maritime influences and coastal breezes that help to preserve the crisp acidity and freshness that is so important in producing wines of such calibre.
Winemaking in Tasmania pre-dates many of Australia’s more well-known wine regions, dating back to the first half of the 19th Century. The industry fell into decline for nearly a century due to a combination of vineyard workers choosing to leave for the Victoria gold rush, leaving a shortage in labour, and a ban being put on fortified spirits which Tasmania specialised in. It wasn’t until the 1950s that Tasmania was once again recognised for its potential as a wine producing region and planting began again.
Tasmania’s reputation for wine is very much on quality over quantity, representing less than 1% of Australia’s total wine production but 10% of their premium wine sector. With a diverse range of soils and climates, Tasmania is home to a variety of unofficial sub-regions accounting for its reputation for both quality still and sparkling wines. Due to its relative infancy in commercial wine production, Tasmania’s various sub-regions cannot be officially classified due to the fact that each sub-region doesn’t contain enough independently owned vineyards or produce enough tonnage of grapes to qualify as an official sub-region. This has led to the wines being marketed solely as Tasmanian wines for the time being but if its reputation for premium wine continues at the level it has, sub-regional classification and wines labelled as such, will certainly be a part of Tasmania’s future.
The majority of vineyards are planted on the north side and south-east side of the island, away from the strong winds that blow in from the west.
In the north you have the Tamar Valley, probably the most well-known area producing 40% of grapes grown here. Tamar Valley is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and due to its slightly warmer climate, the wines produced here tend to be riper and more fruit forward.
Next to the Tamar Valley is Pipers Brook which accounts for 20% of Tasmania’s production. A much cooler area, Pipers Brook is ideal for the production of sparkling wine grapes and is also home to House of Arras. Taking full advantage of the various micro-climates within this tiny island, House of Arras source fruit from different sub-regional vineyards across Tasmania. For their Grand Vintage, and their Brut Elite the grapes were harvested from vineyards on the cool, east side of the island.
The regions on the south-east side of the island including Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley and Huon Valley, collectively account for around 20% of the island’s production, but are prized by many producers for the quality of Pinot Noir grown there. The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, plays a significant role in influencing the wines produced from the most southern vineyards. The breezes are very cold and lower the temperatures of the Huon Valley meso-climate and are channelled further inland, influencing the vineyards of the Derwent Valley - these vineyards produce the lightest wines. The Derwent Valley is divided further into the Upper and Lower Derwent. The Lower Derwent is more sheltered and slightly warmer, producing riper fruit with more richness. The Upper Derwent experiences very cold nights preserving the freshness in what some consider to be the finest Pinot Noir grapes on the Island. The resulting wines are of tremendous elegance and finesse. Coal River Valley produces very slow ripening grapes that are able to gather great complexity. Nick Glaetzer of Glaetzer-Dixon sources grapes from both the Upper Derwent Valley and Coal River Valley, his entry point wine (and it seems a little unfair to call it that) Avance Pinot Noir is produced from grapes grown in both and is a wine of pure, varietal expression.
Bush fires in the Huon Valley
We have had a report from one producer who we are hoping to work with about the bush fires in the Huon Valley.
Certain areas have experienced the driest January on record creating tinderbox conditions, with dry lightning igniting bush fires that raged for two weeks in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.
The fires were finally put out, bar a few smouldering areas in the wilderness, by a timely change in weather with about 40mm of rain.
The fires were centralised to the Huon Valley’s bush, with this producer’s vineyards being cloaked for a period in thick smoke.
Their grapes were tested by La Trobe University and the Australian Wine Research Institution who have confirmed that smoke taint levels are the highest ever seen and unfortunately they had no choice but to accept losing their entire crop for this vintage.
They are now having to rely on sourcing fruit from friends and growers in other regions in order to have something to release for this vintage.
They remain optimistic though, stating that “It will be interesting to work with fruit from other areas without the osmotic understanding of 9 months spent in the vineyard pruning, managing and observing your own crop. It will keep us on our toes and perhaps allow us to experiment a little”.
It is important to mention that the majority of Tasmania was unaffected, the fires only being localised to areas of the Huon Valley, ironically Tasmania’s coolest and wettest sub-region.
One of our favourite discoveries of the past year, Glaetzer-Dixon has impressed both ourselves and our customers alike. The balance being split between the Glaetzer-Dixon Avance Pinot Noir and the Leung Estate Ma Maison Pinot Noir as to which was the firm customer favourite. Having considerably more stock of the Glaetzer-Dixon, it was no surprise that the Ma Maison has sold out and, given that we were not so impressed with the following vintage, will not be returning any time soon. This said, for any diehard fans of the Ma Maison, an obvious and more than worthy alternative is the Glaetzer-Dixon Avance Pinot and for all the diehard fans of Glaetzer Pinots, you’ll be very happy with what we are offering this weekend.
The La Judith Pinot Noir has also sold out which, at £100 a bottle would normally be a bit of a surprise but given the 99+ points we awarded it and its well deserved spot as our wine of the year 2018, it came as no surprise to us.
It is however the Shiraz that has been the real surprise. We have known the quality of Tasmanian Pinot Noir for a while but had never had the opportunity to taste a Tasmanian Shiraz. The Mon Pere Shiraz even came as a surprise to Nick Glaetzer, previously winning one of Australia’s most prestigious awards, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy.
The 2016 vintage was highlighted as the outstanding Shiraz by Imbibe magazine at the Australia Trade tasting in January which, given the amount of Shiraz in the room that day, was quite a feat. Tasmanian Shiraz can be beautifully perfumed and elegant showing refined red and black fruits and distinct pepper spice and stands alone against many of Australia’s powerhouse Shiraz wines. The Mon Pére is the perfect example of this.
The La Judith Shiraz is quite extraordinary. Described by Joe Czerwinski of Robert Parker.com as “a tour de force of Tasmanian Shiraz, albeit one produced in micro quantities of 232 bottles. If Mon Père is Saint-Joseph, this is Hermitage”. It is in contrast to the Mon Pére offering more weight and intensity though still retaining a typical Tasmanian personality.
In short, Nick’s wines are truly stunning across the range. His Pinot Noirs are wines of absolute purity and precision, expressing the essence of the grape to a level that is rarely found at these prices. His Shiraz is an Aussie benchmark for refinement combining elegant, perfumed fruit and pepper spice, rivalling and surpassing many Northern Rhône equivalents.
If you haven’t tasted Nick’s wines yet they are a must. They remain some of the most eye-opening wines out there and bring to light Tasmania’s potential on the world wine stage.
A little about Nick Glaetzer
Nick’s father, Colin began as a winemaker for the Seppelt’s at Rutherglen and Great Western before establishing the Glaetzer name in the Barossa Valley where Nick worked his first vintages. Nick then moved on to work with some of the great names in Australian wine including Leeuwin Estate, Wolf Blass, Lindeman’s, Rosemount, Evans & Tate and Frogmore Creek as well as working some vintages in France at Domain de la Ferrrandière in the Languedoc, Domain Albert Morot in Burgundy and Weingut Egon Müller in Germany. This broad experience created a passion for Pinot Noir and Riesling and with his family name being firmly rooted as one of the greats of the Barossa Valley, Nick began to search for the finest terroir to produce the finest wines from these grape varieties. After tasting what he thought was a Grand Cru Burgundy at a blind tasting at Leeuwin Estate,Nick was stunned to discover the wine was in fact a Tasmanian Pinot Noir and his mind was made up. The rest of the story is simply told through his incredible wines.
For one week only, we have decided to discount all the Glaetzer-Dixon wines as we feel that everyone should get a chance to taste these amazing bottles.
Glaetzer-Dixon Réveur Pinot Noir 2015
97-98 Points - Stuart McCloskey “Ethereal is a good place to begin and certainly one of the best bottles of Pinot Noir I have drunk sub fifty-pounds. You would be mistaken to believe this wine has a decade of aging behind it due to the tawny rim. The bouquet is astonishing, and again would deliver a verdict of a mature wine; dried rose petals, cherry, warm minerals and a lovely savoury undercurrent. Close your eyes and think autumn with a splash of wild strawberry. The palate is fresh, medium-bodied, precise, with acidity judged to perfection. The wine fans-out with a lovely garden savouriness with bay leaf, cedar and finishes with dried, blood orange. As with many wines, I am drawn to the wines texture and this is ultimately blessed. It’s simply effortless, harmonic and will fill you and your glass with serenity”. Served in a Zalto Burgundy glass
97+ Points - Magdalena Sienkiewicz - "I love Nick Galezter’s wines and I must admit I go to the Reveur Pinot Noir more often than any other Pinot Noir. Although both of Nick’s Pinots, 2017 Avance and 2015 Reveur are wonderfully generous, the Reveur is a step up in complexity. Stylistically, it is also more evolved gaining from the additional bottle age. The bouquet is incredibly expressive, deep, alluring with mulberry, black cherries and a whiff of flowers. Layers of sweet fruit glide seamlessly across the palate with a mouthfeel akin to silk. The tannins play an importing, supporting role but, and as one would expect, are super-fine."
97 Points - Peter Robinson - "In a word, stunning! This is the style of Pinot I absolutely love and may well go down as one of my all-time favourites. Its purity is simply exquisite, everything perfectly judged and in balance, the fruit and oak working in perfect harmony. Served in a Zalto Burgundy glass, (and a wine like this deserves no less,) the aromas concentrate with sweet, candied cherry, redcurrant and cranberry, and a gentle hint of oak. This continues seamlessly through to a palate of pure silk, black cherries and rose petal. This wine is the essence of Pinot, expressive and elegant, a complete joy. It is the overall texture, balance and precision of this wine that makes it a triumph and a must for any lover of Pinot Noir."
was £37.95 per bottle
Glaetzer-Dixon La Judith Shiraz 2014
97 Points - Joe Czerwinski (robertparker.com) "Nick Glaetzer's incredible 2014 La Judith Shiraz smells something like pfeffernüsse and cherry preserves, offering layered aromas of cracked pepper, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg and red fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, feeling bigger and more expansive than its modest 13.7% alcohol, while being rich, silky and long. The oak, entirely new, has been nicely absorbed into the wine, contributing spice and texture without getting in the way of the fruit. It's a tour de force of Tasmanian Shiraz, albeit one produced in micro quantities of 232 bottles. If Mon Père is Saint-Joseph, this is Hermitage."
was £100.00 per bottle
Glaetzer-Dixon Mon-Père Shiraz 2016
97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “A Shiraz which is lighter on its feet but full of pedigree. The flavours are layered and beautifully defined with cherry, violets and sweet spices. Silky, expressive without being brash which is very much the skill of Nick. Fresh, nuanced and again, produced with a captivating sense of elegance. There is nothing missing with Nick’s Shiraz, just a different and refreshing, new perspective. Gorgeous and I am looking forward to seeing how this develops over the next five years. Just lovely."
was £42.50 per bottle
Glaetzer-Dixon Avancé Pinot Noir 2017
96+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “The Pinot Noir for the ’17 Avancé was sourced from three vineyards in Southern Tasmania’s Upper Derwent and Coal Valleys. Sweet, succulent entry with an abundance of red cherries, wild strawberry, plums and sweet spices all laced together with bright, perfectly judged acidity. Medium-bodied, with pure silky tannins. The quality of racy, plush fruit is exquisite however, it’s the wines overall balance and completeness which stands out the most. You will have to look very hard to find a better buy for the money. A wine of pure and total pleasure. Just gorgeous and not to be missed”. Served in Zalto Burgundy glass (Highly-Recommended by the way! ), drinking beautifully now but will develop over the next 3-6 years."
was £22.50 per bottle
Over the past eighteen months, we have thoroughly enjoyed working with Accolade Wines and personally speaking, I am a huge fan of their wines and several key members of their UK fine wine team however, and despite enormous efforts from both sides, our joint aspirations have never taken off. In addition, Accolade’s new global policy, which is far beyond our control and certainly supersedes our joint efforts, has come into force this month. Effectively, their new policy kills off favourable pricing to The Vinorium as they attempt to find equilibrium with global pricing, which we are respectful of.
In return, The Vinorium must make a commercial decision. Option one, continue to work with Accolade’s brands (House of Arras, Hardys, Petaluma, Grant Burge, Reynella) and accept their price increases, which and in some cases, are significant. Of course, I would like to highlight that we have received generous, and favourable prices with the new pricing structure simply bringing The Vinorium in line with their standard RRPs. Option two is to delist their wines from our portfolio, which and given the sheer quality of their range is a difficult decision to make.
Option three, embryonic at best, is to find a compromise between the two and this is our preferred route for the time being.
That said, there are key wines which we are delisting from the outset, and these include the NV Brut Elite, 2005 Vintage Rosé and the Late Disgorged from House of Arras. I am a huge fan of Ed’s tireless work and the quality of his wines are unmatched in Australia, but the leap from our current list prices to the ‘new’ RRPs is too great and something we cannot, comfortably justify. The Brut Elite will jump towards £26.00 with the Late Disgorged close to £90.00. Personally, I believe our current prices represent excellent value (perhaps and thanking Accolade, too much value) however, the ‘new’ prices are too high and if I dare to be so bold, I do not believe either wine will justify their new pricing. The Vintage Rosé will increase modestly, but we will no longer be the leader on price which is a position we are not used to. As such, we will delist this too… The ’08 Grande Vintage was purchased before the cut-off date and offers super-drinking with a respectable price tag. Currently, we are ambivalent regarding future purchases of this wine…
House of Arras Late Disgorged 2003
Decanter World Wine Awards: Gold 2017
Gold Medal – 2017 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships
Gold Medal – 2017 International Wine & Spirit Competition
99 Points - Stuart McCloskey "Extraordinarily left on the lees for 12 full years and disgorged June 2015. This is far from a New World gimmick - Mind-bogglingly brilliant and without question, the greatest sparkling wine outside of Champagne and better than many within. A sublime blend of 61% Chardonnay & 39% Pinot Noir which offers a profusion of aromatics and flavours. The wine delivers mouth-filling generosity with nutty honeycomb, toasted brioche, bread (a factor of the extended lees contact), toasted grains, caramel and citrus notes. I detect some ocean sea salinity which makes sense given the marine location. Clearly, the wines maturity is for all to see however, the purity and finesse is quite staggering. A towering masterpiece, riveting, difficult to share as several glasses is never enough and I honestly can't imagine it getting any better. Truly epic and the New World benchmark. Almost perfect! Served using Zalto universal. Only 2,200 bottles produced."
£57.95 per bottle
House of Arras Grand Vintage 2008
Decanter World Wine Awards: Gold 2017
IWSC: Gold 2017
Gold Medal – 2017 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships
Trophy Best Sparkling- 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards
Trophy Best Sparkling White - 2018 Sydney Royal Wine Show
17 Points - Julia Harding MW
(Julia preferred the grand vintage over the new
2004 late disgorged at treble the price)
"Fine yeasty/biscuity nose but there’s also a mineral/stony character that comes through. Creamy texture, lemon cream and so much bight freshness with orange zest on the finish. Delicious: complex and still so fresh."
£28.50 per bottle
House of Arras Vintage Rosé 2005
Gold Medal - 2015 National Wine Show of Australia
96 points - Stuart McCloskey "I was curious to sample the ’05 as I am not a huge fan of sparkling Rosé. A beautiful copper colour with cranberries, red stone fruits, sweet raspberry, orange peel and a little rosewater. In fact, the wine builds with endless layers and has the structure (as with the entire Arras range) of great, Grand Cru Champagne. There’s no holding back with this wine – It’s been released to be relished. There’s real depth and a density on show which takes this Rosé to the head of the class and deservedly so. I could imagine a dozen grilled, Loch Linnhe langoustines partnered with a chilled bottle of the ’05. Simply, heaven.
£26.75 per bottle
House of Arras Brut Elite NV
Gold 2015 Royal Queensland Wine Show
Gold Medal 2015 Tasmanian Wine Show
94 Points - Stuart McCloskey "Primarily based on the 2013 vintage with the fruit (57% Pinot Noir & 43% Chardonnay) sourced from Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley & Huon Estuary. The wine has gone through partial fermentation in oak barrels which has enabled Ed to significantly drop the dosage levels. Served in Zalto’s Universal glass and needs a little aeration to come alive. The ’07 Grand Vintage offers warmth whereas the ‘Elite’ comes to the fore with tension – perhaps a little reserved at first. Minerals, grapefruit, citrus and a touch of smoke. The oak influence is a masterstroke as this adds a layer of additional palate weight and complexity never found in wines of this extraordinary value. This is a great wine from House of Arras. Striking, brilliant and perhaps has no world equal for value. Disgorged after four years."
£17.95 per bottle
Given the Tasmanian theme and Accolade Wines, it throws-up the discussion regarding one of our favourite wines, the 2015 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay. I hasten to add that the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay fruit is sourced from Tasmania, the Yarra Valley and Tumbarumba. Unquestionably, a great Chardonnay and never fails to deliver. Moreover, and despite the countless bottles of Aussie Chardonnay that we open, the ’15 Eileen is the benchmark in my opinion.
We thought we would offer a wee-discount for seven days with both the 2014 & 2015 offered at irresistible prices.
Hardys are no longer producing their ‘Eileen’ Pinot Noir, which is the only reason this wine is being delisted and offered at a special price. The 2014 is a blend of two regions and vineyards in Tasmania, the Derwent Valley and Cranbrook and is simply joyous…
Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2015 - UK Exclusivity
98 Points - Stuart McCloskey "Less expressive than some 2015’s however, decanting for thirty minutes to an hour and serving in a large Burgundy glass brings this wine alive. The wine is silky, graceful with mouth-coating waves of life affirming minerality. Real breadth and depth here with a laser-like focus. I love the juicy yellow stone fruits and spices. I imagine this will be utterly spectacular in another 6-8 years. It is the nectar of the Aussie Gods and would shame many a white Burgundy at double the price. I recommend drinking this stupendous wine from now to 2028 and beyond (in good cellar conditions)."
£29.95 per bottle
Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2014
97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey - "More intense, open-knit and richly textured compared to the 2015 although, both vintages are matched by their exquisite balance. The wines aromatics (honeyed citrus fruits, waves of minerals and a little maritime note) unfold with 20 minutes in a decanter (advised for ultimate satisfaction). The palate is medium to full-bodied, ripe and endlessly long. The play between textured weight and acidity is fantastic – A perfect marriage of cohesion and completeness. Given my experiences with mature Eileen Hardy Chardonnay’s, the ’14 is difficult to pin down to specific flavours. This wine is more to do with sensation as the palate feel is incredible. I do feel the 2015 has the slight edge and will become one of their best vintages over the past three decades however, there is something irresistibly special about the 2014."
£32.95 per bottle
Eileen Hardy Pinot Noir 2014
With a heavy heart, we will be delisting their super-premium Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon and we offer our remaining 2012, ’13 & ’14 stocks at prices to sell.
Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon
97 Points – James Halliday "70% Coonawarra, 27% Margaret River and 3% McLaren Vale, a blend Roger Warren would have been proud of. Margaret River contributes cassis, herbs and spices; Coonawarra an elusive touch of mint, olives and acidity; McLaren Vale a hint of dark chocolate. The cumulative effect is a wine with a fragrant, cedary bouquet, the tannins superfine and mouthwatering. All up, shoulders up convincingly to Bordeaux."
£39.95 per bottle
6 x 75cl available in Original Wooden Case
97 Points – James Halliday "Margaret River, Coonawarra. Full red-purple; a potent, powerful cabernet, the focus on blackcurrant fruit, complexity provided by bay leaf/black olive/mint nuances; French oak is where is should be (on the shoulder of the fruit) and the tannins, while firm, hold no terrors."
£39.95 per bottle
6 x 75cl available in Original Wooden Case
97 Points – James Halliday "The bouquet provides a perfect idea of what is about to follow on the full-bodied palate: towering blackcurrant fruit with bay leaf, black olive and earth all dripping from the fruit where they meet implacable tannins and a poultice of French oak."
was £35.95 per bottle
Finally, Hardys HRB (Heritage Reserve Bin) range also joins the delist list. HRB wines are cross-regional blends produced from hand-selected grapes. Only the premier Australian regions for each varietal are considered for inclusion each vintage. The resulting wines offer some of the best value to come out of Australia and are a steal at £15.00 each (our discounted price)…
Hardys HRB Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
95 Points - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front) "It’s much like last year’s release with just a bit more weight. It’s a better wine as a result. This is a powerful, sturdy red, built Tonka Tuff, with blackcurrant, black olive and bay/gum leaf notes rumbling throughout. In flavour terms it’s almost into gravel territory, and indeed almost into coffee grounds/bitter chocolate. Ropes of muscular tannin pull assuredly through the fruit,. This will be a 25 year+ wine. It is excellent."
Only £15.00 per bottle
Hardys HRB Chardonnay 2013
95 Points - James Halliday "There is definite synergy in the blend, even it if it's the Yarra Valley that provides most of the flavour and the glue; grapefruit is in the driving seats, but there's a special texture to the mouthfeel, part fruit, part oak-derived."
Only £15.00 per bottle
95 Points - James Halliday "D654 McLaren Vale Clare Valley Frankland River. Open-fermented, basket-pressed. McLaren Vale dark chocolate and black fruit richness, the Clare Valley providing some mint and fine, firm tannins, Frankland the pepper, violets and soft black fruit finish. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole, brought together and bonded on the full-bodied palate by persistent, ripe tannins that also add texture."
Only £15.00 per bottle
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