The Lucky Dip Case is back! Last time we did this, we broke the internet. This time we’ve bubble-wrapped the servers because they’re in for another beating.
Every case contains 11 wicked wines, including some our absolute faves here at the ‘fo. More info on them below, and they’re all good things. All mofo standard - i.e. nothing we haven’t enjoyed ourselves.
Then there’s the added excitement of seeing which one of these world-beater wines you will receive.
The twelfth wine is the wildcard and could be one any one of these:
An iconic Penfolds Grange 2014 worth $900. (1 in 100 chance)
A mofo fave Barossa shiraz worth $80 (1 in 10 chance)
A 95pt McLaren Vale shiraz worth $45.
Each box contains one of these epic wines. The odds vary per wine, but each one is a centrepiece wine, worthy of some truly special occasions.
We should say up front: there are no returns on this - click here for case terms and conditions. As it’s a Lucky Dip, it would be unfair to other mofos running in the draw.
The easiest way to guarantee getting a bottle of Grange is to go out and buy one for yourself. If you, like me, don’t have $900 handy, this is definitely your best (and cheapest) option! Heard enough already? Pop that case in the cart and cross your fingers and toes! Otherwise, read on for a bit more info on all those lovely wines:
Wildcard Wines
Wildcard Wine #1
Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2014
South Australia
98pts Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate | 98pts Tony Love | 98pts Huon Hooke | 97pts James Halliday | 97pts Anthony Rose, Decanter | 97pts Andrew Caillard MW | 97pts Tyson Stelzer | 96pts Campbell Mattinson | 20/20 Matthew Jukes | 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson
“Rich, concentrated and intense, the 2014 Grange delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect from this Penfolds icon wine. It’s full-bodied, velvety in feel and loaded with plummy fruit, framed in vanilla and cedar. Dense, powerful and tannic, it should prove to be long lived, even by Grange standard.” - Wine Advocate
“Undeniably Grange in its approach from start to finish, a powerful band of 98 per cent shiraz and 2 per cent cabernet from six SA regions that has spent 20 months in 100 per cent new American oak hogshead barrels. It’s all rich, black fruit flesh seasoned with savoury dark spices and notes of cut down olive bushes and sage in the flavour zone. It’s solid gold Grange in body as well as soul, yet chamfered and measured, even subtly minerally but with no hard edges. It’s a waiting game now like always — drink now in an hour of power or for a special celebration in 10-25 years.” - Tony Love
“98% shiraz, 2% cabernet sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Clare Valley and Magill Estate, matured for 20 months in new American hogsheads. Excellent colour for age; the ultra-fragrant and expressive bouquet implacably draws you in; a great deal of work must have gone into the blending of the components and drawing them seamlessly. An aristocratic Grange with all the components in utter harmony.” - James Halliday
“Taking bets now on when the Grange RRP will hit a grand. This release of Penfolds Grange was sourced from a number of South Australian regions and saw, of course, 100% new American oak. This 2014 Grange includes 2% cabernet sauvignon. I won’t go into the details but the press release includes tasting notes and, appropriately enough, the tasting note provided includes its fair share of exclamation marks. This one was my favourite (in context): “Until the next sip!” My daughter loves baking cakes and as a result I love crushing ants. One sniff and I was in my kitchen with my daughter. There you go. It’s archetypal Grange, smooth, svelte, aristocractic, bright and dense at once, the pride of South Australia and the entire Penfolds red wine line-up all rolled and synergised into one. I see soy and I see spice, I see vanilla and various things nice, but mostly I just see quality nipped and tucked, gathered and applied in such a way that it’s perfect. I didn’t spit it out and I don’t regret it. For a second I was a better man. I read recently that the Richmond football club, on winning the 2017 AFL grand final, went to Rockpool in Melbourne and drank Grange. In fact it was the tattooed-head-to-toe-bad-boy Dustin Martin who related this story. Bay Boy Dustin Martin drinks Grange. I thought of this as I put my glass down. The cliched elite are in for a treat. 2014 Grange will not let anyone down.” - Campbell Mattinson
“Deep, dense youthful red/purple colour. The bouquet is a riot of preserved plums, mocha, smoky toasty oak - less obvious than the Granges of yore - with hints of tar and graphite. The wine is full-bodied but it’s not a blockbuster. It’s dense and concentrated, but not overpowering. Indeed, the wine is superbly balanced and has even a touch of elegance. The tannins are certainly abundant, with a touch of traditional Grange firmness, but it’s a very easy Grange to understand and enjoy. Less likely to intimidate! (2% cabernet sauvignon).” - Huon Hooke
“Deep colour. Beautiful crushed blackberry, mulberry aromas with roasted chestnut, marzipan, mocha oak and liquorice, crème de caramel nuances. Richly flavoured velvety textured wine with dense blackberry, mulberry, dark plum fruits, fine plentiful chocolaty but vigorous tannins, abundant roasted chestnut, mocha, nougat oak. Finishes chocolaty firm with bitter sweet notes, and sustained mineral length. Impressively balanced wine with lovely density, energy and meaty complexity. A classic example of exceptional multi-vineyard sourcing including Wrattonbully for the very first time. Penfolds winemaking philosophy is the ascendant star in this wine. While in the shadow of three successive great years, this “sleeper” Grange vintage has the potential to surprise. 97 points Drink 2025-2060.” - Andrew Caillard
“An erratic season with heat spikes and rain events, saved by cooler conditions from mid-autumn, 2014 is no blockbuster Grange, but unashamedly celebrates a more understated, spicy and structured style. Black cherry and satsuma plum fruit is supported masterfully by a firm, fine chassis of long-enduring tannins. This is no inky, brooding Grange, but rather a vintage that celebrates space and refinement. It’s none the less for it, and lacks nothing in consummate line and unrelenting persistence. It won’t make headlines but it will make for a great drink, and for that I admire it greatly. Drink 2034-2044.” - Tyson Stelzer
Or the 2013 vintage...
Wildcard Wine #2
Shiraz 2015
Barossa, SA
Single Vineyard | Certified Organic | Old Vines
This wine is from the super-boutique end of premium Barossa...in fact, it’s pretty deluxe. From the beautifully packaged bottle to the richness of the colour, you know you are in for something special. It’s from a single vineyard of old vines and after being picked and fermented, spends a few months relaxing in new French oak barrels. From there it’s bottled and rests another couple of years. The resulting wine is simply a dream. The nose is full of fruit and heaps of fresh and dried herbs. The palate is ripe plums and black cherries, with lots of well integrated tannin and a long and savoury finish.
YOU’D PAY $80 full price.
Wildcard Wine #3
Shiraz 2019
McLaren Vale, SA
95pts Wine Estate | Wine Showcase | 95pts Sam Kim | 5 Stars Sam Kim
Lovers of classic Vale shiraz will adore this! It’s big (but not ponderous), rich, round and offers loads of deep, inky goodness to get lost in. There’s plush, chewy berries with hints of peppery spice and leather that float intriguingly across the palate. Plums, blueberries and juicy black cherries dominate the fruit spectrum, in that inimitable Vale dark coffee-cake profile. It’ll get even more interesting in a few years’ time, but I, for one, won’t be able to keep my hands off it.
YOU’D PAY $45 full price.
The Other Wines
Cabernet Malbec 2017
Pemberton, WA
90pts Wine Companion
Blend Great Southern cabernet with malbec, and you’ve got something seriously seductive on your hands. This particular drop is elegant, medium-bodied, and hell-bent on getting into your glass. There’s aromas of dark berries, pepper and chocolate, with a dash of spiced fruit cake on the palate. Lavishly flavoured, but silky smooth, it’ll age beautifully if you can keep it down.
YOU’D PAY $30 full price.
Shiraz Cabernet 2018
King Valley, VIC
5 Star Halliday Rated Winery
When one of our favourite winemakers in the King Valley asks us to come around and taste a few bottles, we come running. He’s a gun with the usual suspects from the region - sangiovese, pinot grigio and, of course, prosecco - but also one of the few that makes shiraz and cabernet fit to stand alongside some of that nation’s best. This classic Aussie blend is medium-bodied, bright, ripe with plum and cassis, and finishes with fine, fine tannins.
YOU’D PAY $30 full price.
Shiraz 2018
Limestone Coast, SA
95pts Sam Kim | 5 Stars Sam Kim
Wonderfully ripe and inviting, the perfumed bouquet shows dark fruit intensity combined with violet, vanillin oak, cocoa and subtle spice notes, leading to a concentrated palate that’s opulent and persistent. The wine is powerful and richly textured with excellent fruit purity, seamlessly framed by silky tannins. Drink now, it’s good to go!
YOU’D PAY $27 full price.
Riesling 2020
Eden Valley, SA
Single Vineyard | Boutique Producer
The team behind this wine have graduated from up-and-comer status to household name in recent years, with the help of some amazing reviews and a very consistent line-up of wines. We love them and their wines, and though this riesling is yet to be rated, we know it’s bound for praise. This pristine wine is about purity and flavour length. Classic bright citrus, a sprinkling of sherbet, a touch of jasmine and bright nervy acid. If I were you, I’d grab a case, because with the cellaring potential and likely accolades, you’ll be very glad you did.
YOU’D PAY $25 full price.
Tempranillo Grenache 2018
Rioja, Spain
Bristling with jubilant cherries and sizzling with exotic spices, this tempranillo grenache is perfect for seasoning your snags with every mouthful. 90% tempranillo, filled out with a few splashes of grenache for a bit of plumpness to the palate. Enjoy freely, pour liberally, and laugh heartily!
YOU’D PAY $24 full price.
Chardonnay 2019
Yarra Valley, VIC
5 Star Halliday Rated Winery
A crowd favourite from the Yarra Valley, this revolutionary winemaker has been seen as a benchmark since the 90’s for his delicious chardonnay. Bursting with a bright approachability (much like its owner), this vino has a palate of grapefruit and lemon skins, with hints of cashew nut and oak followed by a youthful, lemon citrus finish in the mouth. Vegetarians rejoice, this drop pairs perfectly with some finger-licking veggies.
YOU’D PAY $24 full price.
Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Adelaide Hills, SA
5 Star Halliday Rated Winery | Single Vineyard
The Adelaide Hills is the ideal place to grow sauvignon blanc, with high slopes and cool nights. Pair that with a producer who REALLY know what they are doing (Halliday Five Star Rating) and you can’t go wrong. This sauv is clean, light and lively, with all of the gooseberry, floral life and and citrus tingles that make the style famous. A refreshing vino typical of Adelaide Hills.
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
Pinot Grigio 2020
King Valley, VIC
Single Vineyard
From Australia’s unofficial home of the Italian varieties, King Valley, comes a properly flavoursome wine - you’ll get pear, stone fruits and citrus, plus minerality and a lively texture. Playful this wine is indeed - whether it’s Trivial Pursuit or backyard cricket - this wine will be a good match.
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
Soave 2019
Veneto, Italy
This is an absolute mofo favourite and is as good an expression of Soave Classico as any. Chill it right down and it’ll do the pinot grigio thing - fresh, crisp and easy drinking. Let it warm up and you’ll get all the peachy richness side of its spectrum, handling richer seafood and even chicken with aplomb. This is one of those wines you’ll find yourself reaching for, time and time again. Head of Buying at the ‘fo, John, reckons it’s up there with the best value buys of his ‘fo career. I’m not one to argue!
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Mendoza, Argentina
Mighty Mendoza has muscled its way into the hearts of wine-lovers the world over, thanks to its plush-but-lively reds. This cab won’t let you down. Boisterous blackcurrant and bay leaf, tingling tannins and awesome acidity make this the perfect foil for your Sunday roast. Cellar for a decade, or decant for an hour tomorrow.
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
Rosé 2019
Pyrenees, VIC
Brimming with character and full of freshness and length, this wine is the rosé deal of the year! The nose is all vibrant florals and pink grapefruit and the palate super-dry with great texture and driving acidity. This is a great local example of a grenache rosé, showing off the grapes generously-fruited nature, and made in a style that is refreshing and moreish.
YOU’D PAY $20 full price.
What is a Black Market deal?
Black Market deals are only made possible if we don’t reveal the maker’s brand on site. The wines are the genuine article – absolutely no cleanskins or fake brands, just dangerously good value. You won’t find out what it is until it hits your doorstep, but you won’t regret it. Just keep it on the down low.
