The Lucky Dip Case is back! This time with an extra chance to win even more awesome wines! This case has a potential to be a whopping $1400 RRP, but don’t fret, at an absolute minimum, the case is $500 RRP. Everyone wins!
Every case contains the same 5 already wicked wines, including some of 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 as your sixth.
The 6th wine is the wildcard and could be any one of these:
An iconic Penfolds Grange 2017 worth $1000 (1 in 50 chance)
An 100pt Châteauneuf-du-Pape worth $400 (1 in 25 chance)
A halliday rated old vine barossa shiraz worth $320 (1 in 10 chance)
A 97pt halliday barossa shiraz worth $160 (1 in 5 chance)
A 97pt barossa shiraz worth $100 (at a minimum!)
Each box contains one of these epic wines. The odds vary, but each one is a centerpiece 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 $1000 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:
The Wild Card Wines
Wild Card Wine #1
Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2017
South Australia
98pts Wine Spectator | 98pts Huon Hooke | 96pts Robert Parker
“Very deep, dark, dense colour with plenty of purple in the rim. The bouquet is classic Grange, loaded with toast-smoky-oaky scents of smoked-meats and toasted barrels, dried herbs adding an extra fragrance, and hints of five-spice, especially star anise. It’s very full-bodied and concentrate, powerful and long-lasting, but the tannins are beautifully crafted and supple, harmonious, and avoid any suggestion of astringency. The core of the wine is lusciously fruit-sweet and delicious, the robe of tannin complementary rather than domineering. The finish is tremendously long and satisfying. I can enjoy drinking this now: not usual with a new Grange release. A quite magnificent wine and a great Grange.” - Huon Hooke
“Strongly marked - as always - by its 100% American oak elevage, the 2017 Grange backs up the cedar and vanilla notes with ample blackberry and cassis fruit. Full-bodied, ripe and almost decadently creamy in the mouth, it’s loaded with substance, concentrated and rich, yet- in the context of Grange - relatively light and elegant-seeming on the finish. Only the seventh-ever Grange to be exclusively Shiraz, it originates from Barossa Valley (86%) and McLaren Vale (14%): Shiraz from the other growing regions in South Australia failed to make the grade this year.” - Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Memorable, complex, aromatic and explosively deep, with a mix of palo santo, dark chocolate, black olive, espresso and hazelnut butter. The pure fruit at the core is a mix of ripe huckleberry, boysenberry and wild blackberry, with dense but polished tannins. Savoury notes of dried rosemary and sage, cigar box, dried apricot and sandalwood linger on the epic finish. Drink now through 2045.” - Wine Spectator
YOU’D PAY $1000 full price.
Wild Card Wine #2
Domaine Saint Préfert Collection Charles Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2017
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, FR
100pts Jeb Dunnuck | 98pts Wine Cellar Insider | 97pts Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate | 95pts Wine Spectator
We’ve just entered rare air with this Châteauneuf-du-Pape from cult winery Domaine Saint-Préfert. Let’s start with producer...
Saint-Préfert is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with an incredible release of wines, wines that truly start in the vineyard. The soils are stony, porous and filtering, allowing the vines to root deeply in clay. With such extreme temperatures in the Rhône, these deep roots are vital to accessing water, resulting in grapes of immense intensity and richness.
This ‘Charles Giraud’ Collection CdP is the jewel in the crown of Saint-Préfert’s range. It’s best to read the 97 point review below from Joe Czerwinski of The Wine Advocate to get a professional writer’s take on the wine. But know you are getting something rare and special, a wine that Rhône aficionado and critic Jeb Dunnuck graced with a perfect 100 point score. If you are serious about wine, then this is one for the collection.
YOU’D PAY $400 full price.
Wild Card Wine #3
Chateau Yaldara 1847 Grand Pappy Cabernet Shiraz 2017
Barossa Valley, SA
93pts James Halliday | Old Vine
Nestled at the foot of the Barossa Ranges in the small, premium sub-region of Rowland Flat, you’ll find this pioneering Barossa winery founded in the 1940’s by one of Barossa’s first boutique winemakers. 2017 was a cooler vintage by Barossa standards, and for quality winemakers the longer ripening season meant more complexity, elegance and poise. This wine serves as a testament to all of that. Its intense ripe plum aromas and eye-catching purple colour are enough to take your breath away... and that’s before you’ve even tasted it! The sophisticated palate is soft, silky and rich with notes of cherry, redcurrant, dark chocolate, toasty oak and a touch of black pepper. Its lively acidity provides energy and lift, while fine grained and delicately interwoven tannins hold everything in place. An absolute showstopper built to impress – whether it be this year or ten from now!
YOU’D PAY $320 full price.
Wild Card Wine #4
St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2017
Barossa Valley, SA
97pts James Halliday | Five Red Star Halliday Rated Winery | Iconic Winery
St Hallet is an icon of the Barossa Valley, perhaps one could deem them as the icon. Drinking their Old Block Shiraz is to know a thing of beauty. This is one that regularly delights the critics and finds its way into the most discerning cellars. Halliday Wine Companion review: “Elegant and perfumed wine, reflecting the cool vintage to best effect. Black cherry and berry, long and supple in the mouth, with some cedary oak and finely wrought tannins. Always a classy wine, the first vintage put St Hallett on the road to where it is today.”
YOU’D PAY $160 full price.
Wild Card Wine #5
Chateau Yaldara Chalice Shiraz 2017
Barossa Valley, SA
97pts Sam Kim | 96pts Ned Goodwin | 5 Stars Sam Kim
Exemplary in its field, this is a straight shooting, opulent wine from Chateau Yaldara in the ever famous Barossa. Selection of the best fruit occurred prior to fermentation, and again after ageing to mark out the best wine to make it to the bottle. Leading to an attractively fresh and fragrant wine, with abundance of body to satisfy your deepest cravings. 20 months in American and French oak hogsheads has given this wine plump tannins and a generous serve of vanilla cake and spice. This wine is not just about being bold and brash, there’s a delicate side to it, too. Black tea, licorice, and rose all find their way on the palate, telling a more intricate story. This is not only a wine that shows good judgment, but mastery of the craft. Sink your teeth in, this is truly value for money.
YOU’D PAY $100 full price.
The Other Wines
Ulithorne Paternus Shiraz 2018
McLaren Vale, SA
96pts Sam Kim | 95pts Wine Pilot | 94pts James Halliday | 5 Stars Sam Kim | 5 Red Star Halliday Rated Producer
From the oldest vines on Ulithorne’s estate vineyard comes this dark and deep Vale shiraz. Great drainage in the sand-over-clay soil sets the stage for excellent concentration of flavour, presenting as blackberry, cherry, plum and spice. Twenty months in a mix of new and seasoned French oak rounds out the package with fine-grained tannins and a subtle cedary influence on the back palate. This is classic Vale old vine shiraz, inky and smooth, deep and complex.
YOU’D PAY $85 full price.
Rosenvale Vineyards Angaston Road Shiraz 2020
Barossa Valley, SA
96pts Wine Orbit | Five Stars Wine Orbit | Single Vineyard
This shiraz from Rosenvale is Barossa through and through - even at two years old, it’s looking good and ready to go. It’s full to the brim with ripe, black fruit, vibrant blood plums, charry oak (including a dash of American) and a crackle of peppery spice to round it off. There’s just enough tannin resting in a tongue-coating opulent mouthfeel, and a long, lingering cocoa-rich finish. Complexity comes from the incredible depth of flavour and good quality, integrated oak.
YOU’D PAY $85 full price.
Rall Red 2019
South Africa
94pts Tim Atkin MW | 94pts Winemag | Cult Producer
Winemaker Donovan Rall has been making some of the best wines in South Africa, year after year. Such is the cult following, that we had to do some serious sweet-talking to get our hands on a tiny quantity of these beauties.
This Rall Red is a serious and structured style with a couple of years in bottle to settle into its stride. There’s a charmingly rustic quality on display. It’s rich and earthy, with red and black fruit bubbling up from undertones of black pepper and exotic spice. It’d be lost without some refreshing acidity, but that is happily delivered in spades. If you love top-notch wine, but can’t be doing with pretence, this is for you. Just honestly brilliant winemaking and great drinking.
YOU’D PAY $80 full price.
School House Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Coonawarra, SA
96pts Winestate Magazine | 95pts Sam Kim | Five Stars Sam Kim | Single Vineyard
School House is a favourite of ours here at the ‘fo, and you’ll understand why when you crack open a bottle. This vineyard is their most premium, located in near Penola, and is a site rich in history to the community and grows outstanding wine. The wine is rich, ripe and unctuous, with loads of black currants, vanilla, subtle bayleaf and cedar notes linger through. Lay this one down for a few extra years mofo, it won’t hurt.
YOU’D PAY $80 full price.
El Enemigo Malbec 2018
Mendoza, Argentina
It’s hard to reach hyperbole when describing the wines of El Enemigo. The project is headed by Alejandro Vigil, chief winemaker for Catena Zapata, and Adrianna Catena, an accomplished historian and the daughter of the famous Nicolás Catena. Their wines tell a story, this one of the primary grape of Mendoza with a reference and expression to the harsh conditions encountered in making wine in the foothills of the Andes. It has all the bright fruit and spice expected of malbec, but there’s a touch of cab franc in there to provide structure and herbaceousness, both nods to the slow and steady ripening that occurs in the deep rocky soils at such high altitudes.
YOU’D PAY $70 full price.
