BULLER & YALUMBA
No, it's not another Olympic pairs figure skating team. These are two Australian producers that have been working on a pretty high level for years. Are we peddling epic Australian bottlings for President's Day? Why not? Hey, it's certainly no worse than shifting holidays to always fall on Mondays. In any case there are two different issues of note here. First is Yalumba's new Octavius Shiraz and a reload of the Cabernet/Bhiraz blend they call 'Signature', two of the top wines from this esteemed producers portfolio. Both are in the elite category review-wise with Wine Advocate marks of '98' and '95' respectively. Second, we have a somewhat rare bottling for the R.L. Buller dessert wines in this market, a 750 ml size (they usually come in 375ml). In Australia, these wines use the "Fine Old" instead of "Premium Fine" nomenclature with more of an old school slant to the labels but they are indeed one and the same wine. The best price we found on the internet for the half bottle size run from $12-14. We're offering these at $17 for a full bottle! Do the math. There is also an extremely limited amount of Buller's highly prized Calliope bottlings in stock, just a few bottles here and there to the lucky few that strike first. Happy President's Day!
| YALUMBA OCTAVIUS SHIRAZ 2001
Score: WA 98 Notes from Wine Advocate: "Produced from yields of 1.2 tons of fruit per acre, the 2001 Shiraz Octavius spent 20 months in both French and American oak. A blockbuster, structured Shiraz with oodles of personality/soul, it offers a sumptuous bouquet as well as flavors of chocolate, white flowers, blackberry and cassis liqueur, prunes, figs, roasted meats, and burning embers. This full-bodied, hugely extracted, monster Shiraz has amazing balance and symmetry for its large-scaled style. It needs another 1-3 years of cellaring, and should last for 12-20 years, based on the longevity of some earlier examples. For instance, a gorgeous 1994 Octavius, drunk in 2004, had a decade of life remaining. A 1966 Shiraz/Cabernet The Signature tasted next to it, was still in spectacular shape." |
| YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE 2001
Score: WA 95 Notes from Wine Advocate: "The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz The Signature is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz that spent 20 months in a combination of French and American hogsheads as well as smaller barrels. Its deep, sweet perfume of blackberries, camphor, damp earth, vanilla, licorice, and pepper is followed by a powerful, flavorful, intense wine revealing high tannins as well as impressive concentration. This superb Cabernet should easily age for 12-15 years." |