Cellar reserves

CELLAR RESERVES
We have up to 40,000 bottles at any one time

In Bordeaux I buy from a wide range of well-known Cru Classé Estates and lesser known names …. and release them on the list when ready for drinking.  We are currently enjoying some mature vintages of Chateaux TALBOT, LYNCH BAGES, HAUT BAILLY, GRAND PUY LACOSTE, CANON and DOMAINE CHEVALIER.

For the past two decades I have been following two vastly improved estates, Chateau KIRWAN (3rd Growth Margaux) and Chateau CITRAN (Grand Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc).  I buy these wines ‘En Primeur’ (before bottling) and release them when ready for drinking. The list currently offers 2001 of both Chateaux and magnums of the superb, silky and gently spicy 2002 Kirwan.

The CASTELLO DE BROLIO 2004 Chianti Classico is just hitting its straps. Sangiovese doesn’t get any better than this beauty!

There is always a mature vintage of PENFOLDS GRANGE - at the moment the explosive 1991. Cheaper to drink at the table with us than to buy at a Sydney bottle shop. I also store vintages of Grant Burge’s “MESHACH” (“The new Grange”, says Winestate magazine) until they are ready. And, of course, some great YALUMBA “THE SIGNATURE” vintages – Cabernet-Shiraz at its finest.

I am still listing the last few dozen of the mercurial MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE 1992 …from the family’s finest decade, and still drinking beautifully. And, there is heaps of the ethereal STONYRIDGE LAROSE 2000 from Waiheke Island, New Zealand.

A BRILLIANT PRESERVATION SYSTEM
FOR WINES BY THE GLASS

We have installed a LE VERRE DU VIN SYSTEM. This machine creates a strictly controlled vacuum level in the bottles – ensuring maximum preservation without damage to the subtle structure of the wines.

Our existing range of 30 plus Wines By The Glass and Half Bottle Carafe is now complemented by an ever-changing range of Exotica By The Glass. Some of our beauties featured regularly are Yalumba Wild Ferment Chardonnay, Crozes Hermitage Blanc “Domaine Du Veau D’Or”, Gigondas “Domaine Du Grand Montmirail” and Chianti “Classico Castillo Vicchiomaggio”.

 

 
 

SOME OF DON'S FAVOURITES
DRINKING WELL NOW

 

The JIM BARRY ‘LODGE HILL’ RIESLING 2006 from the Clare Valley is a beauty; it is one of South Australia’s classic whites. An ethereal blend of dryness with a touch of passionfruit and citrus zest. The most gluggable of wines…£28.50

If you are tired of New World Sauvignon Blancs, then try a bottle of FUMÉ BLANC 2007 DOMAINE JEAN-PIERRE BAILLY. I ship vast quantities of this gorgeous vibrant wine; heaps of lush gooseberry flavours with a vibrant finish. £26.50

I am a great fan of aged Rhone reds. We have just started on the 2005 GIGONDAS ‘DOMAINE DU GRAND MONTMIRAIL’. Lovely ripe, voluptuous Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre fruit from old vines. “Les tannins sont fondues et laissent une impression générale de rondeur et d’équilibre » says Le Guide Hachette des Vins. Just the wine to accompany one of our steak sandwiches.

BODEGAS FARINA ‘GRAN COLEGIATA’ RESERVA 2000 is another blockbuster from TORO, an up and coming high altitude region in Northern Spain. This beauty is 100% Tinto de Toro (that’s Tempranillo to you and me), aged for 18 months in American oak. It is complex, yet restrained with cherry, vanilla and black pepper spices vying for attention. The 2000 is beautifully mature now. “Where old world charm meets Tinto de Toro” says Manuel Farina. £29.50

You would be hard pressed to find the 2000 vintage STONYRIDGE ‘LAROSE’ anywhere in its native New Zealand, but we still have some, and it is at its peak of perfection. Stephen White masterminds one of New Zealand’s wine icons on Waiheke Island. A hand-crafted classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. £95

And ……..GRANT BURGE ‘MESHACH’ 2003. One of the world’s greatest Shiraz wines. Meshach is a selection of the finest fruit from my mate Grant’s oldest vines. He says, “The vine age produces incredible concentration and complexity giving wines that offer lots of powerful aromas of fruit, oak and spice.” “Meshach is the new Grange” Winestate Magazine. £79