You’ve already scored $290 worth of wine just for playing. That’s a minimum. Congrats, mofo! Or if you’re one of the lucky six mofos, a case value over $900, including one very special bottle of 23 year old Penfolds Grange.
We should say up front: there are no returns on this - click here for case terms and conditions. The chance involved would make this unfair for all. But rest assured there are no fillers here. I can tell you the mofos around HQ have their fingers on their keyboards, waiting for this offer to go live. So it’s mofo a mofo, mano a mano, dog eat dog. Only six mofos will walk away with the ultimate prize, but everyone’s a winner.
Basically you get 11 fixed wines - more info on them below, and they’re all good things: six shiraz, cabernet and blends; five unique whites. All mofo standard - i.e. nothing we haven’t enjoyed ourselves.
The twelfth wine is the wildcard. It could be one of five wines:
- A big’n’silky 95pt ’17 Vale shiraz worth $48, from a well-known maker
- A multi-98pt, multi-gold-medal-winning ’15 Hills shiraz worth $60
- A 95pt Barossa shiraz 2013 from vines over 150 years old, worth $120 (1 in 20 chance)
- A 98pt McLaren Vale icon shiraz 2012 worth $185 (1 in 30 chance)
- That 1995 Penfolds Grange (1 in 100 chance)
So it’s time. Time to get some mofo in your mouth.
For more on the five wildcard wines, followed by the other included vinos, keep reading. Otherwise - to the cart with you, mofo, and may the Grange be with you!
Wildcard Wine #1
Penfolds Grange Shiraz 1995
South Australia
97pts Wine Spectator | 96pts Wine & Spirits | 95pts Jeremy Oliver | 95pts James Halliday
The cellaring’s been done at the winery, the wine is none other than Australia’s most famous red. 23 years of age and awaiting your occasion. Submissions on Instagram indicate that this may range from getting the keys for your new digs to when Carlton wins the premiership again - last time was 1995, appropriately, but this wine may be past it by the next time. So we’ll leave that decision to you, and just wish you the best kind of mofo luck in scoring a Grange in your Lucky Dip case. Here’s what the press had to say about this wine closer to release.
Wine Spectator: A massive wine, majestic in its proportions, combining power and grace in equal measure. Flavors of plum, blackberry, chocolate and pepper, with hints of cedar, licorice and mint, swirl through the exotic finish. Tannins swarm but don’t overwhelm the finish, which echoes all day and night.
Robert Parker: An impressive Grange that may ultimately prove to be underrated, like many wines from this vintage, the 1995, a blend of 94% Shiraz and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, exhibits a saturated plum/purple color and a sweet blackberry liqueur nose intermixed with cassis, licorice, and new oak. The wine is textured, jammy, full-bodied, with impressive levels of extract, glycerin, and black fruit flavors. It is long, ripe, with unobtrusive acidity and tannin.
YOU’D PAY $700 full price.
Wildcard Wine #2
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2012
Barossa, SA
98pts James Halliday | 97pts Peter Chapman
This is one of Australia’s most collected wines from one of the top five most famous wineries in the Barossa, has impeccable pedigree and is capable of cellaring 20 years plus. No two ways about it, this wine’s at the big end of town. Lots of fruit, lots of oak, lots of impact. According to the maker, it’ll be in your face until its early teenage years, and then everything starts to come together.
YOU’D PAY $185 full price.
Wildcard Wine #3
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2013
Barossa, SA
95pts Wine Showcase | 92pts Wine Enthusiast | 5 Red Star Winery, Halliday Wine Companion
This vintage has only been good enough to make wine under this label four times since the turn of the century. The grapes that made this wine are from vines over 150 years old. 150 years old! It’s had over four years in wonderful old French oak. It’s classic old school Barossa territory, but with verve and elegance too, thanks to the secret vineyard’s proximity to the Eden Valley. It’s intense. Get involved.
YOU’D PAY $120 full price.
Wildcard Wine #4
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2015
Adelaide Hills, SA
This is ridiculous territory here, with 4 x 98pts reviews, 96 from Halliday and Patrick Eckel, 95 from Huon Hooke, and NINE gold medals! Here’s what the Decanter judges had to say:
Roger Jones: Beautiful, savoury nose. Gentle, evolving fruit, with classy, restrained elegance. Fresh, clean, vibrant and exciting – just stunning.
Tina Gellie: Savoury aromas of spiced leather. Refreshing acidity makes it very quaffable. A top-drawer Shiraz that will mature well.
Anthony Rose: Intense and concentrated, with incisive cool-climate acidty and firm, sinewy tannins for structure. The blackberry fruit richness is balanced by an intense spine of acidity. Complete.
YOU’D PAY $60 full price.
Wildcard Wine #5
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2017
McLaren Vale, SA
5 Red Star Winery, Halliday Wine Companion
Every vintage, this well-known, kickarse winery selects their deepest, darkest shiraz especially for this wine. They have a lot to choose from, and it’s all bloody good. They then wrap it up in toasty barrels and let them work their magic. Bottled soon after, this is for those who like their red bloody big but equally approachable. If your tastebuds (and your gums) need a bit of a pick-me-up, then let this wine do the work for you. As Head of Buying, John, says, “this is super premium, super sexy shiraz - big, rich, round and wonderful.” And with John’s relative lack of bubbly enthusiasm, he had me at “this”.
YOU’D PAY $48 full price.
The Other Wines in the Case
So you’ll be getting ONE of the above wines. Meanwhile, you get ONE of EACH of the following wines in the case:
BLACK MARKET Chardonnay 2016
Yarra Valley, VIC
Ripe mango and honeydew melon, white chocolate and that delectable whiff of a freshly opened tin of tennis balls (I love this smell, don’t get me wrong). No butter evident, unlike the allusions of the name, but the palate is certainly complex and full. Round but fresh and lively, lots of fruit but also some secondary characters starting to play. Probably wouldn’t go badly with a hit of tennis, either, now that you mention it. Your serve.
YOU’D PAY $28 full price.
BLACK MARKET Riesling 2018
Clare Valley, SA
95pts Sam Kim | 5 red star Halliday rated winery
This Watervale riesling is from 100% free run juice - i.e. only the best bits. Lemons, limes - sure. But it’s the tight little palate that sets this riesling apart. Zesty and fresh, dry and crisp, with florals and a softly mineral richness thanks to gentle lees-stirring. It screams classic Watervale riesling, and we’re happy to be shouted at if it ends up tasting this good. Scream away, little rizza.
YOU’D PAY $27 full price.
BLACK MARKET Pinot Gris 2017
King Valley, VIC
94pts Tony Keys | 93pts Sam Kim
This is delicate, “elegantly framed” as Sam Kim put it. The wine backs up the packaging. You’ll see. We love this producer, and they can’t make enough King Valley gris to keep up. Juicy pears and apples lead the charge on a crisp, balanced palate, with intensity of fruit that speaks of mature vines in the right climate.
YOU’D PAY $26 full price.
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2017
Mount Benson, SA
This is as soft and approachable as it sets out to be, with a full mid-palate of juicy fruit and enough tannin to keep things interesting. When you want a crowd-pleaser, this is it. No hard edges. Loads of blueberry, plum, raspberry and blueberry with just a touch of licorice, a dusting of cocoa plus a bit of black pepper and classy tobacco leaf to spice things up. We’re currently “tasting” this after hours at Mofo HQ and the feedback was “that’s really good!” and “I really like it - really nice colour”. This from mofos who have strong opinions and have been coddled with pretty swanky reds of late.
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
BLACK MARKET
Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Barossa Valley, SA
91pts Gary Walsh
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: cabernet is Barossa’s little secret weapon; juicy and full-fruited over a muscular armature. It’s no cool climate cabernet with an empty mid-palate, needing merlot or shiraz to fill it. It fills its own midsection. It is its own beast. All the dark berries and blackcurrant of the variety, but reduced down, chocolatey and licoricey too. Fresh, structured, fleshy, punchy. So tasty.
YOU’D PAY $22 full price.
BLACK MARKET White Blend 2017
Portugal
The wine’s tropical, but citrus-fresh too: pineapple, mango, yellow peach, lemon pulp. It’s mineral without being lean or steely. Lovely texture and depth. Wonderfully long, not too acidic either. Beautiful balance.
YOU’D PAY $20 full price.
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2015
Mount Benson, SA
92pts Rob Geddes MW | 91pts Limestone Coast Wine Show | Gold Medal CWSA
Shiraz fiends, assemble. Mt. Benson has been the target of an intelligent wine heist. The ’Fo received word that the South Aussie gold-medal winning red can be recognised by its near perfect ripeness, complexity and touch of oak. Not a danger to civilians, but likely to be addictive. Keep your ears to the ground and your lips around the glass.
YOU’D PAY $20.
BLACK MARKET Shiraz 2013
South Australia
94pts Qwine | 92pts Nick Stock | 90pts James Halliday | Gold Medal Limestone Coast Wine Show | 5 black star Halliday rated winery
This unmentionable region’s not renowned for its shiraz, but I’ve said before and I will again - it should be. The kind of cool, but actually warm, region gets the best of both worlds of shiraz and ties them together, typically - as in this classic case - with some judicious old and new French and American oak. And if you’re lucky - which you are again in this case - you get a few years in bottle for everything to knit together.
YOU’D PAY $20 full price.
BLACK MARKET Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Clare Valley, SA
93pts Wine Showcase
From one of the great Clare vintages comes this diminutively priced cabernet, from dry-grown wines in the dark soils of the Armagh Valley, and made by Angela Meaney of Stonebridge Wines. With six years under its belt, this sturdy little number punches well, well above its price point. Classy aged cabernet you can afford to have every lunch time.
YOU’D PAY $20 full price.
BLACK MARKET Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Adelaide Hills, SA
93pts Wine Showcase | Gold Medal Wine Showcase
This is fresh as fresh from start to finish. The flint-coloured bottle (that’s industry-speak for that slightly blue sapphire colour) has that tropical waters look, while the juice itself is white gold and glints enticingly in the late afternoon sun. The nose is just as inviting, smells like a citrus-and-passionfruit mojito without the excess alcohol. Still, it’s 12.8% so don’t think it won’t do the job. A little bit of spice and tomato bush, but it’s really all about juicy-clean crispness. You’ll be chasing the afternoon sun with a never-ending glass of this in hand, wherever you are.
YOU’D PAY $19 full price.
BLACK MARKET GSM 2015
Barossa Valley, SA
93pts & gold medal - Wine Showcase
This awarded GSM combines red and dark fruits, with redcurrants and blueberries working to bring together a flavoursome, fresh, fruity blend. If you’re into your Barossa reds, it’s an awesome one to have handy as an everyday quaffer that overdelivers on expectation.
YOU’D PAY $18 full price.
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.
Please note: we’d originally, mistakenly listed the last wine in the pack as a ‘BLACK MARKET Shiraz Cabernet 2013’ from the King Valley in Victoria. This should have been replaced by the ‘BLACK MARKET GSM 2015’ now listed. Rest assured they both rock $18 RRP (so no affect to case RRP), and the GSM even has a handy 93pts and a gold medal. We’re so sorry for any confusion.
