Translation missing: en.Domaine du Collier + Joshua Cooper + MEET THE MAKER - Thick as Thieves Tasting Friday 31st 5pm-7pm + Chalmers Tasting Saturday 1st 3pm-6pm + Caparzo - Tuscan Special!: Domaine du Collier + Joshua Cooper + MEET THE MAKER - Thick as Thieves Tasting Friday 31st 5pm-7pm + Chalmers Tasting Saturday 1st 3pm-6pm + Caparzo - Tuscan Special!
Domaine du Collier
Antoine Foucault and his partner Caroline established Domaine du Collier in 1999 after purchasing 4 hectares of land in the commune of Brézé in the best lieu-dit of ‘La Ripaille’. Antoine is the son of Charly Foucault and nephew of Nady Foucault - the 2 brothers behind the legendary Clos Rougeard which is easily the most respected estate in the Loire Valley. Antoine worked for his father and uncle at Clos Rougeard for 4 years before going his own way with this Domaine, and brings the same knowledge and skill required to make the world's best Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc to Collier.
Antoine works his vineyards organically, without the use of any chemical treatments or weed killers. The soils are worked to allow the long roots of these old vines to dig deep into the chalky tuffeau. The estate harvests everything by hand, implementing a strict sorting regime to ensure that only the best grapes make the cut into the wine. A natural approach is carried into the cellar with a commitment to wild yeast fermentation, extended ageing of 24 to 36 months without racking in a very cold underground cellar (the same cellar that Clos Rougeard use), and zero sulfur until bottling. All of these are important factors that contribute to producing ethereal Chenin and Cabernet Franc with power, delicacy, minerality and finesse, capable of developing for decades in the cellar.
The stellar 2021 vintage of Collier has just arrived and we've got a couple from previous vintages too. The '21 'Saumur Blanc' comes from vines averaging 25-70 years old on clay limestone soils and is packed with power and complexity. The '21 'Charpentrie Saumur Blanc' comes from vines averaging over 100 years old - easily one of the best Chenins in the world. We have the 'Ripaille Saumur Rouge' in a few vintages: '19, '20 and '21 which is always an incredible expression of Cabernet Franc. We have the 'Saumur-Champigny Rouge' in the '20 and '21 vintages as well. Finally, we have the '21 'Charpentrie Saumur Rouge' from soils of sand over almost 100% limestone similar to Clos Rougeard's 'Les Poyeux'. This is definitely the closest to Clos Rougeard as you can get. These are some incredibly detailed wines from one of Loire Valley's most sought-after producers - don't miss out on these!
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Joshua Cooper
Joshua Cooper's wines are one of those rare cultish wines that people have either never heard of or are utterly obsessed with and do everything in their power to seek out. Josh started in 2012 with a single barrel and works as a negociant system, sourcing from sensitive and conscientious growers with great vineyard sites in the Macedon Ranges and across Central and Western Victoria. These wines are meant to be a reflection of their time and place rather than of human input, with a focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from significant and historic sites.
The foundation of Joshua Cooper's winemaking is working with the highest quality vineyard sites possible. Joshua believes that sensitively-grown mature vines in distinctive and varied terroir produces grapes of the highest quality and character. All decisions regarding picking, fermentation and maturation are made intuitively letting each wine evolves as needed with only small additions of sulphur at bottling.
We've just picked up the latest release of these highly sought-after wines and people have already started plucking them off the shelf shortly after we've put them out! From Josh's whites, we have a single bottle left of the '23 'Pyren Sauvignon Blanc' and just under 2 dozen left of the '24 'Dash Farms Chardonnay' from a south-facing granitic site sitting at 450m above sea level - Josh reckons this is the best bottling yet of this cuvee. We have the '24 'Doug's Vineyard Pinot Noir' - a silky smooth and spicy Macedon Pinot. We have the '22 'Shay's Flat Cabernet Sauvignon' and '22 'Balgownie 1970 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon' with a few years of bottle age on them. From the newly released Cabernets, we have the '24 'Blanche Barkley Cabernet Sauvignon' (as well as bottle of Shiraz from the same vineyard) which harks back to the old school medium-bodied wines of Bordeaux and the '24 'Balgownie Cabernet Sauvignon' which Josh believes to be the best Cabernet he's produced from this site. These are some incredible wines that won't last long so snap them up while you can!
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MEET THE MAKER
Thick as Thieves Tasting
Friday 31st
5pm-7pm
Join us this Friday with the legendary winemaker from Yarra Valley's Thick as Thieves - Syd Bradford as he takes you through his fantastic wines.
Thick as Thieves started as a humble operation in 2009 with Syd buying grapes and renting facilities to make the wine. In 2012 he purchased the Cypress Ridge vineyard in Yarra Valley from which he has continued to produce compelling wines at great prices. These are the wines that Syd will be pouring:
Thick as Thieves Aloof Alpaca Arneis 2024
Thick as Thieves Another Bloody Chardonnay 2024
Thick as Thieves Pocco Rosso 2024
Thick as Thieves Purple Prose Gamay 2024
Thick As Thieves Driftwood Gamay Pinot Noir 2024
Thick as Thieves Plump Pinot Noir 2024
Thick as Thieves Levings Pinot Noir 2024
These wines are a staple of the store and easily one of the most requested wines by customers. Come down to the store and try them for yourself!
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Chalmers Tasting
Saturday 1st
3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday for a tasting of the exciting wines from the Chalmers family!
The Chalmers family specialise in producing wines from underappreciated regions such as Heathcote and the Murray Darling. They are also the biggest nursery for Italian varieties coming into the county - most of the Italian varieties planted in Australia are due to the work that this family has put into establishing connections in Italy and dealing with Australia's strict quarantine laws. These are the wines that we'll be pouring on the day:
Chalmers Col Fondo
These are distinctive and well-made wines and some of the best expressions of these Italian varieties in the country. Don't miss out on this tasting!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.
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WEEKLY SPECIAL!
Caparzo
We have another incredible special lined up for this week with a fantastic Sangiovese from Tuscany's Caparzo!
CAPARZO SANGIOVESE 2024 - Regularly $40 per bottle / NOW $30.00 per bottle*
This is a saving of 25%!
OFFER: BUY 6 BOTTLES OF CAPARZO SANGIOVESE AND RECEIVE $60 OFF!
Caparzo are located in the heart of Tuscany, in the province of Montalcino where they are able to meticulously craft classic expressions of the local Sangiovese grape. The estate currently comprises of 90 hectares of vineyards, 4 hectares of olive groves, 87 hectares of woodland, and 19 hectares currently used for arable land and gardens. Each vineyard is planted and managed specifically knowing which grapes will be used to make particular wines with a vast clonal selection and the vinification is traditional for the area with mostly large Slovonian botti. The Caparzo Sangiovese is made with Sangiovese from 3 different areas and shows the classic fresh red fruits and herbal characteristics that Sangiovese is known and loved for.
*price per bottle when ordering 6 bottles of the Caparzo
Sangiovese in-store or online. Offer available while stocks last - finishing at 11:59pm on Sunday 2nd November.
Get in quick!