Jan 11, 2016
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Best Buy Liquors
You've got to love a wine shop that has no idea what it's got in it's inventory right? Case in point - Best Buy Liquors in Coney Island. I got put onto this mob by a patient, and, being the sort of guy I am, I immediately rushed off to see what they had. The first dozen arrived today..
They had:
Mt Langi Ghiran 'The Langi' Shiraz 2004 - a $90 wine at Dan Murphy's - for $30.
Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2004 - $38 for current vintage - for $15.99 (it's a screwcap)
Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2006 - $37 @ Dan's - for $19.99
Penley Estate 'Phoenix' Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - current vintage (2010) is $20 - for $15
I bought just one Californian Red - a 2005 Cabernet from the Stag's Leap subdistrict of Napa Valley - VERY high expectations from this one. Also thought, since the American plonk thus far hasn't really done a whole lot for me, that I'd try a couple of Frenchies. Burgundy, to start with. Two reds (Pinot Noir) and two whites (Chardonnay). Will let you know when we crack them!
Hanging Vine 'Parcel 4' Chardonnay 2011
Hmmm, I thought as I stuck my nose in the glass, this is a bit more like it! We never really went off Chardonnay, and while everyone went potty for Sauv Blanc & Pinot Gris/Grigio, we stayed quietly unfashionable in the hope that Chardonnay would go the way of vinyl records and become kinda cool again. This was terrific value at $12 or $13 a bottle, and this is me having a go at a proper wine critique:
Color: Bright pale straw
Nose: A bit of complexity there, initially I thought it was a melony sort of nose, but had another sniff got more of a peaches & cream spectrum (which we like).
Palate: has good primary fruit (aforementioned stonefruit, melon, ?maybe a bit of lemon in there - I really need my sniffing bottles at this point - and acid support, some buttery/creaminess, presumably from malolactic, and minimal oak influence.
Finish: Smooth and balanced. The acid provides the structure and allows length. Has that 'line & length' that Keith Tulloch talked about when we went to his Masterclass. We'll go back and buy more of this.
When we arrived in the US, I admitted to having some pre-meditated expectations of wine here - that they wouldn't be able to compete with Australia for Shiraz, Durif, Riesling or Semillon - but they could be in with a shot on the Cabs, Pinots & Chardonnays. In my opinion, this is a pretty damn good Chardy for the money. Aussies beware!
Booze
Ester and Derek got into Australian wines while living in Sydney. With the help of a great local bottle shop in Balmain, we started to get acquainted with what Aussie wines had to offer. Every couple of months, we faithfully headed down to see our guy at 60 Darling St, who recommended various whites and reds from all over so we can find out what we liked. We never got out of there in less than 45mins.
Over the years there's been a number of amazing wines, some surprises and only a few disappointments. It's hard to get truly awful wine in Australia. So after exploring a number of Australian wine regions and amassing a growing personal collection (much to Ester's chagrin), it's now time to explore what America (and the rest of the world) has to offer... The bar has been set high...