andy Wrote:Coincidentally, I just received this from my local wine company. I see that it includes a Tasmanian red.
Anything on here that I should kill for?
Domaine A is a very, very classy cool-climate cabernet. I love it, and 2000 was an exceptional year, so yes, go for it by all means. It's slightly infuriating to note that our wine is somewhat cheaper over there than it is here, and for SP's benefit I will mention this is because of the ridiculously high
wine tax that we have to pay. :mad:
If you're seriously prepared to fork out the dosh, here's a subjective assesment which is probably more useful than another ream of tasting notes, which you can easily find for yourself using Google. Put it this way: faced with a choice of 1 bottle of Penfolds Grange or for about the same money, six bottles of Domaine A cabernet, I would unhesitatingly choose the Domaine A - obviously they are very different wines, but the enjoyment level is more similar than the price difference would suggest.
In fact I have a bit of a story to tell about Domaine A. Prior to its purchase by the Swiss winemaker Peter Althaus, the winery was owned and run by a man named George Park who built it as a weekend winery and retirement project. He made small batches of many varieties, including some very unusual ones for Tasmania such as
zinfandel and also
shiraz, both of which are difficult to ripen here. His most succesful wines were (not surprisingly for Tasmania)
pinot noir and
cabernet sauvignon, but my wife and I especially loved his
zinfandel. In fact we chose it as the red wine for our wedding reception. His
Stoney Vineyard wines were quite successful with a few wine show medals and some good reviews by wine writers such as James Halliday, but his output was very small. Eventually he sold the vineyards and winery to Peter Althaus who continues to produce Stoney wines as his second label, but it is the Domaine A
pinot noir,
cabernet sauvignon and a superb
fume blanc that have become famous.
Anyway, last time I was there (2001 I think) I was talking to them about the old Stoney wines and was invited down to meet Peter Althaus and saw his cellar, where I was gob-smacked by the sight of more classified Bordeaux than I thought could comfortably exist in one place... below is a pic of one small part of it (that's Peter Althaus on the right, smiling as the owner of a small mountain of fine Bordeaux ought).
But anyway, it
is seriously good wine.
I haven't tried everything in that list you attached, but for my money the Domaine A would be top pick, although I'd be
very tempted by the Australian Collector's Edition Luxury Six.
March maundering.
