In The Picture

Long Flat Destinations – great value in a synthetic brand

I grabbed a bottle of their Chardonnay some months ago when I needed to make up a half dozen and couldn’t find anything else. It was a Yarra Valley 2010, and it was better than it had any right to be for just over 10 bucks. Cool climate fruit, in the stone fruit to grapefruit spectrum, very well made with a touch of oak nicely integrated, medium bodied and long with a fine finish. One of the few surprises in my hunt for decent Chardonnay under $20. 13.5% - almost perfect. 91 points, and you know how mean I am by now.

1^St Choice had a Destinations Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon as well, a 2008 for just over $10, and I have to say it’s just as good as the Chardonnay with a hint of mint on the nose and lovely ripe berry fruit in an elegant package of medium to full body. Good length, fine tannins, good to drink now but will get a bit better with a few years. 14%. Another 91 points. Coonawarra Cabernet, four years old, $10? Ridiculous.

Who makes these wines? Yes, there is a winemaker’s name on the back label but that’s not what I mean. Who are these guys? A bit of poking around the Net doesn’t reveal a lot except a name  I vaguely remember: a Melbourne-based wine company called Cheviot Bridge, who some years ago bought the Long Flat brand from Murray Tyrrell.

These days, they list quite a few brands as their own -   La Vie , Cheviot Bridge, CB, Long Flat, Long Flat Destinations, Kissing Bridge, Terrace Vale, Braided River, Thirsty Lizard (Export Only). The company’s board is studded with investment bankers and financiers http://www.cheviotbridge.com.au/en-us/whoarewe/tailoredwineservices.aspx 

I know this sounds pretty weird, but these Destinations are worth heading for. Try them and you’ll see what I mean.

Kim

Where can you buy wine that’s ready to drink?

Most of us don’t have cellars, or the means to lay down wines for years until they’re ready to drink. Lindemans used to run a mature releases program in the good old days. Sadly, these days Lindemans is just another brand of Treasury Estates, the wine business Fosters once owned but found a distraction form its beer business. More on that here: http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2011/09/how-fosters-and-southcorp-trashed-australias-greatest-wine-brands.html

I’m no admirer of large corporations, as you can glean from that piece, but I buy some of my non-fresh food from Woolworths and some of my wine from Dan Murphys Big W owns. DM’s has a Cellar Release program that includes a broad range of red and white wines they’ve cellared for around 4 - 5 years. Many are cheap wines like Annie’s Lane or Metala, which will be much improved with a few years of age, but there are Penfolds and Leo Burings and Wynns Coonawarra in higher price brackets.

The prices are more than fair as a rule, in fact they’re not much higher than the retail prices for the current vintage equivalents. For example, you can buy a Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2004 for $19, which is about the same cost as the 2009. The Mitchell’s 2005 Watervale Riesling is $24, about $4 more than the current 2011 vintage.

DM doesn’t make it easy to find these cellar releases online, and most of the stores only offer a subset of the full release.

This button on DM’s website will take you there, but it will only show up some of the time. Here’s a direct link which should take you there.

http://danmurphys.com.au/dm/search/dm_search_results.jsp?searchterm=wine&attribute=webcellarreleasevintage&value=200620release

some older releases here, some still in stock

http://danmurphys.com.au/product-group/cellar-clear-out?resetnav=false

And here’s a catalogue of the top 20

http://danmurphys.com.au/guides/cellar-release-wines-buy-best-rated-wines-content

If all else fails, enter the names and year of some of the wines I’ve listed below into the search box on DM’s website, and then follow the breadcrumbs back to the next level up. There are lots of interesting wines here, and good on DM for doing this without getting greedy. A couple more examples:

 

More on Wine Shows, from Sydney to Shanghai

Wine shows are there to improve the breed, not to guide punters

So I'm told. I subscribe to wine newsletters like JH’s wine companion, Huon Hooke’s somewhat different service and Tyson Stelzer’s minimalist scribbles. Halliday’s letter starts like this: ‘The age-old discussion about wine show results is not going to finish any time soon. Much of the debate proceeds on the assumption that the results should inform the public, and should be consistent from one show to the next.’

Come again, James? If wine shows are not meant to guide the drinking public,  why do you let wine companies stick all those medal stickers on their bottles?

‘In fact the primary purpose,’ James insists, ‘is common to all categories in the agricultural shows: to improve the breed. Only by having your wine – or bull, or budgerigar — judged by independent experts in the context of other exhibits of the same class. The issues come when a wine wins a ‘lucky’ gold medal, or when its style is controversial. Gold medals are decided by a panel of three judges, while trophies involve all judges. So, if you take a gold medal with a grain of salt, there should be no reservations about a trophy winner.’

The primary purpose is to improve the breed - interesting concept. What happened to the breed in the nineties and early noughties when reds became overripe, over-oaked, high-alcohol caricatures, and Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs had an identity crisis? Huon Hooke talks about wines like that - read on!

Huon also says the trophies are the ones that count – ‘and when the trophy wines are outstanding, it usually indicates the show was well-judged.’ Is he conceding that the trophy wines aren’t always outstanding?

He says the 2012 Sydney Royal Wine Show was a great success, that most of the trophy wines are outstanding wines in the cutting-edge modern Australian style. ‘With some exceptions,’ he writes, ‘they're a far cry from the unsubtle, woody troglodytes that typified wine-show winners in the not-too-distant past.’ Thanks you, Huon. I feel vindicated for turning my back on those shockers years ago.

Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge

A famous label, and an expensive one these days, Mount Langi has spawned several more affordable offspring. Cliff Edge is one of those, and Huon tells us that it’s won three trophies, including the Macquarie Group Perpetual Trophy for best wine of the Sydney Show. Best's Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz from the same area in Victoria won two trophies and will sell for $75. Mount Langi’s Cliff Edge will sell for $30 or less. Huon says you won’t able to buy it for another year, but Mount Langi’s website seems to be ready to take your money today. http://www.langi.com.au/winess/cliff-edge-shiraz-1050.html?mid=2&sid=1

The 2010 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir ($35) is another winner, ‘yet another crackerjack Yarra pinot from the great 2010 harvest.' The top dry white was Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2010, due to be released on May 1 at $60. No bargains on the white side of the fence, but once again Huon reminds us that ‘not that long ago overtly oaky chardonnays were still taking off these top awards. Thank heavens it's changed.’

The times they are a’changin’

‘On the down-side,’ Huon says, ‘... there are still some horrors getting up. At the [final] dinner, we were served the Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, a dreadfully oaky, minty, coarse wine which I frankly could not drink – and neither could anyone else that I could see. This wine is a dinosaur and the style should go the way of all dinosaurs. How on earth did it get a trophy? Search me…’

I know Huon from way back. He’s a straight talker, hasn’t changed clearly. Decanter quoted him in a recent piece, saying ‘The age of elegance has dawned on Australian wine – there are more finer-structured, lighter-bodied, yet intensely flavoured red and white wines of moderate alcohol than has ever been the case.’ Huon adds that these wines are often overlooked or pushed aside by those big, cuddly, warm Barossa reds.

The folks at Decanter made an interesting point: that Australia is one of the few countries that could happily produce both styles. They backed this up with the magazine’s front page, which shows a cool climate Shiraz from Giaconda and Mollydooker’s The Boxer Shiraz that boasts 16% alcohol. One punch will lay you out flat, I suspect.

Did you know that Mollydooker means left-hander, or southpaw? You live and learn. I have to add that the Chris Ringland 2009 Shiraz packs even more of a punch at 16.8% alcohol. No, it’s not a misprint, it’s almost 17% and would easily classify as a fortified wine. Why on earth would you want to make a wine like that, let alone drink one? Beats me.

The Shanghai International Wine Challenge

I've developed a fondness for those big cuddly Barossa reds like Teusner’s Avatar and Shiraz Mataro, and Turkey Flat Shiraz and Grenache. I draw the line at 14.5%, though. In the last couple of days, I came across the SIWC results (never heard of it? Neither had I), and the best wine of that show was Kalleske’s Moppa Shiraz 2010. The trophy for the best white was won by the St Clair Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Among the judges were Ian Riggs (Brokenwood) and Bob Campbell, a well-known MW and wine judge from NZ.

http://www.esiwc.com/awardslist2011.shtml

Kalleske is a known quantity, a family of established Barossa grape growers whose seventh generation - Troy and Tony – began making wine from 2002. In 2008, Troy won the award for Barossa Winemaker of the Year and was named Australia’s Young Gun of Wine. As an aside, Kym Teusner won Gourmet Traveller ‘Young Wine Maker of the Year in 2007.

Kalleske's 120 acre vineyard is planted to Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Mataro, Petit Verdot, Durif, Viognier, Tempranillo and Zinfandel. Vines vary in age with the oldest dating back to 1875. The average age is about 50 years. The grapes are grown organically and biodynamically and the winery is certified organic.

Clarry’s GSM blend is a lovely introduction to the Kalleske realm for less than $20. The top wines fetch much headier prices, but we’re in luck with the Moppa Shiraz: its only another $10, but we’re in more luck since Dan M is offering an online special on the Moppa 2010 for $23 in a six-bottle buy http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_381401/ 

This Moppa is made from 86% Shiraz, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Viognier. That combo is a first in my book. Winemaking is traditional, and the wine was aged in hogsheads for sixteen months - 25% new American, French, Hungarian and Russian oak, the balance seasoned barrels. Russian oak is another first for me. And this wine id from the outstanding 2010 vintage.

‘A delicious drop and amazing value when compared to some of the region’s more famous brews,’ Huon Hooke writes in the SMH. ‘Soft and sweet fruited, it’s quite succulent, round and smooth!’ Nick from Nick’s Wine merchants says it’s ‘full bodied, the palate delivers voluptuous flavours of dark plum, blackberry and liquorice followed by a touch of exotic apricot with a spicy back palate. Opulently textured velvet smooth tannin structure. Long aftertaste of dark plum, liquorice, spice and toast. Drink over the next 4-5 years.’

St Clair

Never heard of this vineyard, and soon wondered why when I started looking for more info on the web. A deluge of accolades just about swept me off my perch:

• Trophy for Best New Zealand Wine Producer of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2005
• White Winemaker of the Year at the London International Wine Challenge 2008
• NZ winery of the year 2011 (Winestate)
• 'Saint Clair now makes the country’s and perhaps the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc.' Bob Campbell MW, wine judge and wine writer
  
• 'Saint Clair has won more top awards for Sauvignon Blanc in recent years than any of the three or four hundred other local producers.' Bob Campbell
• Recent trophies and gold medals http://www.saintclair.co.nz/news/press_releases.aspx?a=206
• ‘This label has shown fine form lately and is a top buy’ (Michael Cooper, NZ’s JH)

‘Fully accomodating with gentle fruit laden acids, alluringly scented and nicely mineral,’ says one reviewer. ‘A dulcet passionfruit and lychee melody in fine pitch and perfect harmony, intensely Marlborough and impeccably integrated!’ (Wine Mag.com.au). Another wine poet – I’d better get out my iambic pentameter and my rhyming dictionary.

It’s $16.15 at 1st Choice Liquor or at Dan M’s in a six bottle buy http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_906919/saint-clair-sauvignon-blanc

I’ll get a hold of the Kalleske and the St Clair, and let you know whether they measure up to their PR. The Mount Langi Cliff Edge is tempting but it’s a bit over my budget right now, and with 3 trophies you’re not likely to find it discounted any time soon.

Kim

NIKON 1 SYSTEM - there's more to it than meets the eye

I suspect I was a bit harsh in my initial assessment of the new Nikon EVIL cameras a few months back http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2011/09/nikon-1-you-want-lip-gloss-to-match-that-camera.html

 

I was reminded of my fairly dismissive attitude when I read this blog post from Rob Galbraith, a professional Nikon shooter:

'If you're a working photographer using a Nikon digital SLR now, chances are the announcement of the J1 and V1 in September caught your attention briefly, you grumbled that the system wasn't built around a much bigger image sensor or wasn't more pro-oriented, and then you returned to wondering when the company will issue replacements for cameras like the D700 and D3S.

Admittedly, my reaction was along those lines as well. While I admired the boldness of Nikon's move to create a new-from-the-ground-up camera system, I didn't see it as doing much for my own photography. That is, until I tried out the cameras and accompanying lenses. After a few weeks of shooting with Nikon 1 system gear, almost exclusively in my off-duty role as parent to two active boys, I've gone from being nonplussed about to singing the praises of Nikon's newest wares.

The responsiveness of the camera and its capable autofocus, the good-looking pictures that come from its comparatively small sensor and the optical sweetness of the tiny 1 Nikkor lenses, these and other positive Nikon 1 attributes have left me impressed. It's not a perfect system by any means, but for certain types of photography, ones that favour portability without sacrificing too much performance, Nikon 1 rocks.'

Read the rest of Rob's in-depth, engaging hands-on review here

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-11666-11988

Kim

Salade Niçoise

This salad has many variations, depending on where you look for the recipe, and that’s part of the beauty of making this one: the creative latitude it gives you.

There are 3 ingredients that characterise the traditional Salade Niçoise, and they are boiled eggs, potatoes and green beans. Tuna is the one constant, and it’s tinned tuna. This is what the standard salad looks like:

I my version there are no potatoes, but you’ll need to boil the eggs to almost hard. And steam the beans, good quality string beans, just on the firm side of tender. The unusual ingredients in this version are the semi-sundried toms and the goat cheese (it adds a special je-ne-sais-quoi), plus the dressing – good quality Aussie olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice. The dressing is a balancing act, mix the components until none dominates.

Ingredients

4-6 boiled eggs, cooled to fridge temperature

Cooked beans, cooled to fridge temp

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved if on the big side

Handful semi-sundried tomatoes

Handful of black olives, such as small Kalamata

1/2 green capsicum, cut into thin slices
3-4 mid-sized shallots sliced diagonally
2 small Lebanese cucumbers, sliced into quarters in 5cm lengths
Lettuce, take your pick, torn into edible bits

Bunch of basil leaves
250-300g good quality flaked tuna in oil, drained well
some anchovy fillets, drained on paper towel, cut into 2-3cm pieces
125g of goat cheese chopped into bite-size chunks

Dressing
The traditional dressing is a vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 clove garlic, peeled, bruised with the flat of a knife, and 2 tsp tarragon vinegar.

Here’s Damien Pignolet’s version which uses that dressing

http://gourmettraveller.com.au/damien-pignolets-salade-nicoise.htm

POETRY AND THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

The story of Ern Malley, Australia’s most infamous poet.

His poetry was published in the early nineteen forties after Malley’s untimely death, to wide acclaim. But then his publisher, Max Harris, was charged with publishing obscene material, and convicted. The SA police prosecutor objected to words like ‘genitals’ and 'incestuous.'. ‘I think it is immoral to use the word “genitals”,' the prescutor said, 'I think it is unusual for sexual parts to be referred to in poetry.’

The court case was widely covered by the press of the day and helped to make Ern Malley’s works more famous. Since then, Malley’s poetry has been read, studied, discussed and debated vigorously in schools and universities over these past decades.

Ern Malley inspired writers, composers and performers. Sydney Nolan painted the cover of the avant-garde journal Angry Penguins, which first published Malley’s poems. They say that Malley inspired Nolan to produce some of his best art. Archibald Winner Gary Shead painted a series of works with Ern Malley and his poetry the centrepiece.

photo courtesy of http://www.ernmalley.com/ern_malley_latest.html 

In 2003, twice Booker Prize-winning author Peter Carey revived the Ern Malley story in a novel under the title My Life as a Fake

Yes, Ern Malley was a fake, born in a hoax perpetrated on the champion of literary modernism of the 1940s, Max Harris. James McAuley and Harold Stewart were poets who abhorred modernist poetry and, stationed in Victoria Barracks with time on their hands, they decided to debunk the whole business of modernist poetry.  

‘The perpetrators of this humorless nonsense,’ they wrote later, ‘had managed to pass it off on would-be intellectuals and Bohemians, both here and abroad, as great poetry.’ They concocted some poetry to prove their point.

They said they took the lines from ‘a chance collection of books which happened to be on our desk: the concise Oxford Dictionary, Collected Shakespeare, Dictionary of Quotations, Ripman’s Rhyming Dictionary and the American report on the drainage of breeding grounds of mosquitoes.’

They said they ‘opened these books at random, choosing a word or phrase haphazardly. We made lists of these and wove them into nonsensical sentences ... we deliberately perpetrated bad verse, and selected awkward rhymes ...’

When they'd produced a series of poems this way, they sent a letter to Max Harris from Ern Malley’s fictitious sister Ethel, which said: ‘Dear Sir, when I was going through my brother’s things after his death, I found some poetry he had written ... I am not a literary person myself and I do not feel that I understand what he wrote, but I feel I ought to do something about them.’

 Harris published Ern Malley in the 1944 autumn issue of Angry Penguins. The poems were later published in book form under the title of The Darkening Ecliptic. The Sydney Sunday Sun exposed the hoax, and the public loved the story - tall intellectual poppies taken down a notch or two by a couple of diggers. Even The Bulletin lent its support to the two hoaxers, writing: ‘earnest thanks to the diggers who are joint debunkers of Bosh, Blah and Blather’.

Harris was publicly humiliated but came up with a killer response: whether they liked it or not, he said, McAuley and Stewart had written their best poetry ever, in fact their only poetry of real genius. Ern Malley had clearly liberated them.

That is the point of this strange little story: Ern Malley is still being read and interpreted and discussed vigorously. McAuley and Stewart are long forgotten, and their poetry long gone.

It's a speech I gave at Toastmasters tonight.

Kim

MORE SYDNEY SUMMER 2012

It's been a La Nina summer, very humid with lots of showers and thunderstorms. But in between we've had a lot of sunshine too. Just click on the images for a larger file.

Balmoral sunrise

Circular Quay, early morning

Married at Balmoral

Still Life at Bobbin Head

Still Life at Art Gallery of NSW

The view from Little Manly

Peaceful morning at Balmoral

Love or Lice?

Clouds at Balmoral

Outrageous megapixels and the resolving power of lenses

When the 36 megapixel Nikon d800 was announced, a few of the experts said that the huge hike in megapixels would show up the limitations of your favourite lenses.

That seemed a logical consequence to me, I have to admit, but Ctein, the pixel-level guru at The Online Photographer (TOP) has a different point of view. He shares it here:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/02/d800-megapixels.html

In that post, he addresses a handful of myths, and here’s what he says about

Myth #4

‘It's pointless to add more pixels [to sensors] because lenses aren't good enough

Reality: I have no idea where this one came from, because it's contradicted by decades of lens and camera test data. I'm going to cut through the morass of minutia-based arguments about pixel dimensions, filter geometries, and Airy disks and lay it out in very simple terms. A 16-megapixel 35mm-sized Bayer array sensor is going to resolve around 50 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm). A 36-megapixel sensor will resolve around 75 lp/mm. Even mediocre 35mm lenses will hit 75 lp/mm at some aperture over some portion of their field of view. This is true of both fixed focal length and zoom lenses.

Decent (not at all exceptional) 35mm-format lenses can hit 75 lp/mm at just about all apertures and will do so over most of the field of view for at least one aperture. They'll show peak resolutions more like twice that. Really good lenses (not necessarily expensive ones) will be able to exceed 75 line pair per millimeter without even trying hard over most/all of the field of view and will have peak resolutions three or more times that.

Furthermore, until the lens resolution drops to only half that of the sensor, improving sensor resolution will produce an observable improvement in image resolution.

See the previously cited diffraction column and "Why 80 Megapixels Just Won't Be Enough..."

The only thing holding back camera makers from 50mp, 60mp or more on FX is the data-processing involved. A 72mp FX sensor would only be able to do about 1 frame per second, which most people would think is too slow. And, the high-ISO wouldn't be so hot. But hey, maybe they'll do a D800L for the landscape guys. We have to wait for the data processing to catch up. I think Nikon's best glass -- the recent f/1.4 primes -- are fully capable of delivering with a 72mp sensor, at least in the center of the frame.’

There you go!

Kim

Annie’s Lane, Goundrey Chardonnay, Toi Toi Sauvignon Blanc all < $10

 

Dan Murphys matches 1^st Choice Liquor

Great name that, 1^st Choice Liquor. With all the negatives the word liquor drags up, you wonder why the marketing geniuses at the big grocery chains haven’t flung this word on the rubbish pile. LiquorLand is another one. Sorry, can’t suppress the marketer in me.

Now, to the subject of today’s post: liquid bargains. Here’s the short list from DM starting with something a bit different:

•  Red Hill Estate Chardonnay 2009 and Pinot Noir 2009 for $14.95

This is an established Mornington Peninsula Winery that gets a 5-star rating from James Halliday’s team. You’ll rarely see Mornington Peninsula wines at these prices, but Red Hill is not in the same league as Kooyong IMHO.

I don’t know the Pinot Noir, but JH gives it 91 points so it may be worth trying. 13.6%. The Chardonnay is pretty fair, with a fruit driven nose, really concentrated fruit on mid palate and reasonable length and finesse. About 90 points in my book. JH says it’s a wine for cellaring at the right price and gives it 94. 13%.

Now to the $10 bargains.

• Goundrey Homestead unwooded Chardonnay 2010 or 2011 - $9

I’ve always liked this fresh ‘mouthful of grapes’ style as a wine to drink when you don’t want to think. It has plenty of soft chardonnay fruit and good length, and it slips down the hatch with no trouble at all. A real bargain.

• Annie’s Lane reds and whites for $10

My take on the reds is this: the 2009 shiraz is a keeper, still a bit dense and closed. The Cabernet Merlot 2009 is a plush velvet armchair in a classy brothel, there are a lot of obvious charms here but it’s almost too plush and lacks firm underpinnings so it’s best enjoyed sooner rather than later.

The whites from Annie’s Lane are a mixed bag. The 2011 Riesling is not a patch on the old Quelltaler Rieslings that once came from this Clare Valley estate. A bit underdone in the fruit department at 12 % alcohol, and a little spotty on the palate but there’some citrus fruit and good length. There's a faint hint of saccharine sweetness which I find off-putting. Halliday gives it 94 points so perhaps I’m being too harsh with an 88 rating. Still, for 10 bucks there are few Riesling options outside the Riverland.

Chardonnay doesn’t find clear expression in the Clare, and the Annie's Lane Chadonnay 2011 is 12% alcohol which an elegant Riesling can get away with but a more robust Chardonnay can’t. The result is a pretty bland, almost anemic white.

• Toi Toi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - $9.40

Toi Toi is a native Kiwi grass, not what a Polish Princess says to you when she wishes you good luck on a skiing trip. The wine is more in the typical tropical fruit than the grass spectrum. If you like that style, then this is as good as the other cheap options from this overcrowded area. If you’re looking for herbaceous complexity, don’t look here.

• Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz 2010 - $10.75

As I said in a previous post, wine writers tend to wax lyrical about this perennial bargain. Here's Jeremy Oliver in Gourmet Traveller: 

'Remarkable for its price, this classically medium-bodied Coonawarra shiraz has a heady, musky bouquet whose vibrant, peppery aromas of cassis, dark plum and berries knit tightly with fresh, faintly charry mocha-like oak. It’s velvet smooth, long and elegant, with a charmingly supple presence of spicy fruit, gentle tannins and racy acids, finishing with genuine persistence and style. We are indeed the lucky country.'

I don't think it's that special, but it's pretty decent value for money. It is clean and well-made and well-balanced with good fruit and no off notes, so I'm happy to give it 90.

• Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2005 - $19

Yes, this is closer to $20 but it’s a wonderful aged Riesling from the Clare, and a real bargain. This one you have to buy online from DM – there’s none in the shops. It’s won several golds but don’t let that put you off. 94/100 points from James Halliday; 95/100 points from Huon Hooke in Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine; highly recommended by Peter Forrestal.

http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_914833/richmond-grove-riesling-2005

Dan Murphys still has the de Bortoli Botrytis Semillon on offer for just over 10 bucks a half bottle. You won't buy a better sticky than this at the price, that's for sure.

Good drinking

Kim

Teusner Avatar Grenache Mataro Shiraz

The 2010 vintage of this marvellous red is just out. It's a bargain, believe me, at $23 a bottle. You'll go a long way to find a GSM Barossa red of this calibre made from old vines, for this amount of money.

I reviewed Teusner's reds a couple of months ago here:

http://briard.typepad.com/get_the_picture/2011/12/teusner-wines-stunning-aussie-reds-for-a-song-.html

From the maker's website

Only one review so far:

“Darker fruit, darker colour than the Joshua. Spice, light earthiness, subtle old nutty wood, choc-mint-licorice. It’s medium to full bodied with a richer palate than Joshua, more earth and tannin, more broody and less crisp and pretty. Added viscosity and depth too, yet a similar cranberry/raspberry freshness and superb length. SUCH GOOD TANNIN here (it’s worth shouting about). Exemplary. Probably worth 95 points.” – 94+ Points Gary Walsh, The Wine front.

Knowing the guys at Teusner, and the year 2010, this wine will score more points as time goes on.And it will go on for years. The $23 price is currently on offer at mycellars.com http://www.mycellars.com.au/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=teusner+Avatar&osCsid=gqgfek63323sivcoab9k0bvdq6&x=0&y=0

Kim