| Home | Newsletter Archive | |||||
|
||||
| Europa Cellars Newsletter, 2nd September 2008 |
||||
| (03) 9417 7220 | ||||
 |
|
Wine of the Week Grosset PolishHill, Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut, Greenock Creek Clos Saint Jean, CNDP Tastings New in Store |
|||
| Dear Wine aficionado, This week we have an incredible line-up of wines. While we proudly offer a very broad range of European wines, we cannot ignore the gems that are drawn out of the earth, a little closer to home. So we have this week wines from Grosset and Mount Horrocks in the Clare Valley, and from Greenock Creek in the Barossa Valley. From The Rhone Valley we have two offers from Chateuneuf du Pape producers, Clos St Jean and Domaine de Beaurenard. Thanks to all of those who attended the Pinot and Game Night at Sarti and made it such an enjoyable evening. As always see below for our tasting shedule. order form Regards The Europa Cellars team David, Boon, Brian, Richard and Sam View this newsletter on-line NB All Prices are in Australian Dollars |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wine of the Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2007 Mas Des Bressades 'Tradition' Blanc Grenache Blanc/Roussanne |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Special Offer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grossett, Clare Valley (Available now until sold out) The noble white varieties are the stock in trade for Grosset, a serial Halliday 5 star winery. And while this belies the fact that Jeff Grosset produces a couple of incredibly drinkable reds, the focus here are his Rieslings. 2008 Polish Hill Riesling / Shelf Price $45.50 / Offer Price $40.95 Just released and available in extremely limited quantities (12 btls only). Austere, in the best sense of he word, the Polish hill Riesling has been made since 1981. 'Jeffrey Grosset's Polish Hill riesling … tastes as though the grape juice were made of water that was filtered through layers of glacial gravel, slate and shale - which, in fact, it was...' Rod Smith Wine and Spirits (USA) February 2001. 2008 Springvale (Watervale) Riesling / Shelf Price $37.00 / Offer Price $33.30 A single vineyard wine since 2005, the Springvale seems to have been improving with each subsequent vintage. With 2008 purportedly the best vintage seen in the Clare Valley since 2002, this wine is as eagerly anticipated as its opposite number. Both wines will reward patient cellaring, but are equally gratifying when enjoyed in all their youthful vigour.(12 btls only) Mt Horroccks, Clare Valley (Available now until sold out) Owner/winemaker Stephanie Toole of Mt Horrocks in the Clare Valley, needs little introduction as her wines are a enduring favourite here at Europa Cellars, as well as being a darling of the Australian and international wine press. Mt Horrocks is another Halliday 5 star winery. One of the reasons for the popularity of her wines is undoubtedly her devotion to producing "hand made food wines with emphasis on structure as well as generous fruit flavours”. It is to this end that Stephanie limits her annual production, as such many of her wines sell out early. We are pleased to offer the latest release, the 2008 Cordon Cut Riesling. 2008 Cordon Cut Riesling / Shelf Price $37.00 / Offer Price $32.40 "Bright light yellow gold. Delicate yet intense aromas of orange marmalade, star anise and vanilla bean, with wildflower notes... Classic cordon cut flavours ring true in this vintage, where clever winemaking technique concentrates the natural citrus flavours of the grape... incredibly sweet, lively and appealing, full of flavour yet not overpowering and has a crisp clean sweet citrus finish."(from Horrocks site) Greenock Creek, Barossa Valley (Wines expected mid September) Greenock Creek is owned by Michael and Annabelle Waugh, and makes varietal wines from Granche, Shiraz and Cabernet grown in Seppeltsfield and Marananga, in the Barossa valley. Most will be familiar with Greenock Creek as they are well sought after wines, and regularly appear in the Langton's top 500 list. Unfortunately we can offer neither the Creek Block Shiraz, nor the Cornerstone Grenache, however, we have secured limited quantities of their other six wines. In the case of the Roenfeldt road wines the quantities are very limited i.e. 2 btls only. 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon / Shelf Price $50.00 / Offer Price $44.50 Made from 100% cabernet grown in the heavy red loam of Seppeltsfield in the heart of the Barossa. The average vine age is 10 years. This wine generally sees some older Frenck oak. 2006 Alice’s Shiraz / Shelf Price $40.00 / Offer Price $36.00 100% shiraz grown in sandy loam. The average vine age is 14 years. Generally spends 28 months in American oak. 2006 Apricot Block Shiraz / Shelf Price $46.00 / Offer Price $41.40 Made from 100% shiraz grown in soil which varies from red loam, to clay and granite. The average vine age is 16 years, and the wine generally spends about 28 months in American oak. 2006 Seven acre Shiraz / Shelf Price $58.00 / Offer Price $52.20 Made from 100% shiraz, grown in red loam aver a limestone and bluestone substrate. Average vine age 21 years. Generally aged in American oak for 28 months. 2003 Roenfeldt road Shiraz / Shelf Price $295.00 / Offer Price $265.50 100% Shiraz from Sandy loam and clay in the Marananga region of the Barossa Valley. Whereas the yields of the previous wines have been low, between 1 to 1.5 tonnes per acre, the Roenfeldt Road yields only one half of a tonne from its 60 year + vines. This amazingly concentrated fruit will relish its time in new American oak. 2003 Roenfeldt road Cabernet Sauvignon / Shelf Price $295.00 / Offer Price $265.50 100% Cabernet from sandy loam in the Marananga. Again these old vines and their equally low yields produce a very powerful wine. 36 months in older French Oak. Clos St Jean, Chateauneuf du Pape (Available now until sold out*) The Clos Saint Jean was founded in 1900 by Edmund Tacussel and wines have been bottled under the label since 1910. Brothers, Pascal and Vincent Maurel took over running the family property after their father, Guy, passed away in 1982. Aided by winemaker Phillippe Gambie, the trio have brought the domiane to prominence through attention to vineyard health low cropping yields, and - of course - hard work. Since 2003 the two standout cuvees, La Combe des Fous and Deus ex Machina have been winning international acclaim.*NB these two wines are also available in only very limited quantities. La Combe des Fous (Hill of fools) is named in honour of Edmund Tacussel, and the reaction to his decision to plant vines in a particular area - considered too hard to work due to the substrate of very large river rocks - of the famous parcel 'La Crau' (Vieux Telegraph et al). Tacussel's 'madness' is vindicated once we taste this 'massive but mineral and sweet perfumed' wine (Robert Parker). Parker 94-97, Tanzer 93-96 Deus ex Machina is a modest acknowledgement that the reversal of fortune of the domaine, realised after the release of these two superb cuvees, may be due to some God or other dangling from the proscenium arch, rather than the persistence of the heirs of Tacussel's determined foresight. Parker, 94-96+, Tanzer 94-97 2006 Clos St Jean Chateauneuf du Pape / Shelf Price $88.00 / Offer Price $79.00 “Inky ruby. Powerful dark berr y aromas , with gentle garrigue and anise building with air. Fresh, racy and focused, offering sweet raspberr y and blackberry flavors and suave, harmonious tannins. Turns spicier on the finish, with echoing red berry flavors.” Tanzer Robert Parker,91-93, Stephen Tanzer 90-93 2006 La Combe des Fous / Shelf Price $170.00 / Offer Price $153.00 "Saturated ruby. Super-ripe kirsch and cassis aromas are complicated by pungent garrigue and anise, with a subtle floral undercurrent building with air. Deep and sweet but not over the top, offering dense red and dark berry liqueur flavors, velvety tannins and superb finishing thrust. The blend this year is 50% grenache, 30% syrah and 20% vaccarese.” Tanzer 2006 Deus ex Machina / Shelf Price $170.00 / Offer Price $153.00 “Bright ruby. Pungent raspberry and garrigue aromas , with subtle rose, anise and vanilla bean qualities building in the glass. Beautifully balanced wine, playing fresh red berry flavors against meatier herbal and earthy qualities , with the fruit gaining the upper hand on the close. A huge palate-stainer, yet this possesses remarkable balance and finishing energ y, leaving a strong impression of floral pastille behind.” Tanzer Domaine de Beaurenard, Chateauneuf du Pape (Available now until sold out) In an effort to balance the New World with the Old, we are revisiting another Chateauneuf producer, that attentive readers may recognise. Domaine de Beaurenard has been a family-run estate for seven generations. A notarial act dated 16 December 1695 mentions “Bois Renard”, which over time has become “Beaurenard”. Today it is run by the brothers Frederic and Daniel Coulon who have taken over from Paul and Régine. The estate covers 32 hectares of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 25 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau AOC area. The vines are 45 years old on average, across the holdings and their yield in Châteauneuf is a low 25-35 hl/ha. ‘Domaine de Beaurenard is a consistent estate that has been making top-notch wines for as long as I have been writing about wine, which is now 28+ years. In fact, the 1929 tasted a year ago still had some life left in it. In any event, the Coulon family, who have been major estate bottlers not only in Chateauneuf du Pape but also in Rasteau, have an almost unmatched record of quality and were one of the first to begin making a more progressive style of Chateauneuf du Pape – purer, cleaner, with more fruit, without sacrificing Provencal typicity.’ Robert Parker 2005 Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape / Shelf Price $89.00 / Offer Price $79.00 From 60-year-old vines. The blend usually contains 70 percent Grenache, 10 percent Mourvèdre, 10 percent Syrah and 10 percent other varieties. ‘2005 looks like a great vintage for the Coulons, with the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape superb with notes of melted licorice, white chocolate, blackberry, and sweet cherry. There’s some smoke and Provencal herbs also mixed in the complex aromatics. In the mouth it is full-bodied, moderately tannic, with outstanding depth, richness, and purity. This wine will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age and drink well for 15 or so years.’ 91-93 points Robert Parker 2005 Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Boisrenard / Shelf Price $152.00 / Offer Price $136.00 The standard blend is 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent the other varieties, from just 7 acres of very old vines planted between 1902 and 1935. Yields average only about 1 tonne per acre (18 hectoliters per hectare), and 20 percent of the wine is aged in new oak barrels and is bottled without fining or filtration. ‘The brilliant modern school of winemaking is well-represented by the inky purple-colored 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Boisrenard. With well-integrated oak and pure creme de cassis notes intermixed with licorice, truffle, espresso roast, and chocolate, the wine is dense, pure, rich, complex, and capable of lasting two decades. It is another stunning wine and has the potential to be the best Boisrenard since the 2001 or 1998. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025.’ 92-95 points Robert Parker ‘Saturated ruby. Deeply floral nose offers spicy strawberry and raspberry complicated by rose and lavender. Round and creamy in the mouth, displaying wonderfully fresh, sweet red berry flavors and silky tannins. The finish is impressively long and throws off an array of red fruit and exotic spice notes.’ 93-96 points Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar order form |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dinners & Tastings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005 Bordeaux Tuesday 2nd September 5-7:30pm, In-store, $25pp Join us as we look at wines from the much vaunted 2005 vintage including cru bourgeois to grand cru wines from both the right and left bank . See for yourself what all the fuss is about! Sold Out. Spring Sparkling Wines Tuesday 9th September 5-7:30pm, In-store, Free Come and taste some of the best value sparkling wines from around the globe, plus a couple of Champagnes for good measure. Wines from France, Italy, Spain, Greece and the New World Tuscany Tuesday 16th September 5-7:30pm, In-store, $5pp (refund on purchase of any wine on taste) A Tuscan adventure not to be missed. We will taste sangiovese in all it's glory and styles. From the single varietal expressions from Montalcino to the delicious blends of Monteccuco. We will also stop by Montepulciano, Chianti and more! |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New in-store | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On Saturday 10 April 2004, new Australian Federal Government legislation came into force that requires that no unsolicited emails be sent without the permission of the recipient. Europa Cellars has an email database and sends out periodic newsletters or special offers to especially interested clients. If you do not wish to receive further newsletters or special offers from Europa Cellars in the future, please advise by emailing wine@europacellars.com.au . Alternatively, if you subscribed via our website you may visit the following link to unsubscribe the same way. http://ethreemail.com/e3ds/u.php?g=a1fc2f1a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Europa Cellars 150 Wellington Parade East Melbourne VIC Australia 3002 p. +61 (3) 9417 7220 f.+61(3) 9417 7223 e. wine @europacellars .com.au
ABN 78 102 566 781 License no. 32053562 |
|||