French Wine Stockists in Melbourne

Hi Oliver Have you tried Nicks wine merchants, they have a great range of imported wines and their user friendly website at

is probably the best place to start. Randalls the wine merchant in Albert Park is excellent as is the Spanish Acquisition in North Melbourne(but not for French wines obviously) Old & Rare Wines in Southbank opposite the casino is also worth a look. I also wouldn't walk out on Dans too quickly as they stock quite a credible range from the old world. Anyway good hunting. Cheers Andrew

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Try contacting Domaine Wine Shippers, Melbourne-based importers with an extensive French range on: 03 9878 7848 Fax 03 9878 7812

They might send out a catalogue or certainly point you at good stockists. Martin

Just looking at Nick's site, there are some pretty special wines there. I notice there are some fairly reasonably priced NZ Pinots there (the

2002 Ata Rangi P>

Oliver, With all due respect to Ata Rangi, their Pinot tastes nothing like any Burgundy that I've ever had. Indeed, NZ Pinots are quite unique in their flavors, just as Californian and Burgundian Pinots are. Terroir, mayhap? FWIW, I much preferred the Pinots from Martinborough Vineyards, a neighbor of Ata Rangi.

Mark Lipton

Couldn't agree more, Mark.

I know that we have discussed this on more than one occasion, where both you and Ian have remarked that, generally, most of NZ pinot has been planted within the past 5 years - OK, Martinborough has been a pinot region of some note for going on 15 years.

But, by far the greatest number of vines have been harvested 2-3 times. This is certainly the case in Central Otago.

Rather than even trying to make wines in a Burgundian style, (or copying the styles other New World regions where Pinot Noir has been made with some measure of success) local wineries are now concentrating on producing Pinot Noir in a distinctly New Zealand style - rather like emulating the success of Sauvignon Blanc.

The sooner winemakers and resellers alike cease calling their pinot "Burgundy look-alikes" the better.

Dan does not have a good range of imported wines - very limited and overpriced. Suggest you try Paul de Burgh Day - fine wines of Europe Also Enoteco Sileno for an excellent range of Italians

Ron Lel

I guess you have not tried any Bass Phillip. Suggets you do, though how you can get hold of it outside Oz is hard to know; Phil's production is miniscule.

Ron Lel

After leaving a NZ tasting event earlier in the year, (including tasting the amazing cloudy bay "te ko ko") the mouth felt as though it had just swallowed a few litres of raspberry jam from all the PNs...

"lloyd" wrote...........

Hi Lloyd, I would be interested to know the makers of some of the wines you tasted if you can recall.

I am slightly ashamed to say that, at this particular time, too much Pinot Noir exported from these shores is, frankly, quite ordinary.

Until very recently (like the vintage just completed!!!) the better wines are made in much smaller quantities that they would be quite hard to find in the UK.

Generally, NZ Pinot Noir is quite fruit driven, the more experienced winemakers making balanced wines with nice cherry flavours, with elements of savouriness.

I cannot say that I have ever found "raspberry jamminess" in NZ PN of any quality.

In respect to your experience with the Cloudy Bay Te Koko, now this is a unique expression of Sauvignon Blanc.

Free run juice, spontaneously fermented using indigenous yeasts (fermentation taking upwards of 8 months!) 100% malolactic fermentation, then left on the less for a further 9 months, before bottling and left a further year before release.

This is nothing like one would expect from a Marlborough Sauvignon; some like it (I do!) - many don't - but, it is certain to create a discussion if included in any Sauvignon Blanc tasting.

I still have tasting notes... a few that stand out were Isabel, Felton Road, Cloudy Bay, Mountford Estate, Kaituna, Waipara West, Kim Crawford...

This was merely the post-tasting mouthfeel, almost made me feel repulsion to any more PN! Too much of a good thing I guess.

I just thought it was an excellent example of a winemaker "breaking a few rules" for the better. Also here in the UK most people are a bit "Cloudy Bay" mad and it was nice trying something that is so limited in supply over here. The lady from Cloudy Bay said they also use wild yeast!

Lloyd

Salut/Hi Andrew,

le/on Wed, 28 Jul 2004 15:32:56 +1200, tu disais/you said:-

Couldn't agree with you more here, Andrew. New Zealand has shown perfectly well, as has Australia that it can fly under its own colours, and so much the better.