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Nov 2009 - Early in my fine wine consuming (different than the regular wine years) I was tasting wine at cellar doors in the beautiful Clare Valley of South Australia with friends, and came across a very special high end wine that was sitting in a discount bin because it's label had been stained by wine (bottle broken in a case). It was half price and although still almost double my usual purchase price range, I had been told by someone I trusted that this was the deal of a lifetime (maybe a slight exaggeration). In a moment of weakness or perhaps some divine intervention I grabbed a bottle and purchased it.
Carefully packing it in the suitcase for the journey back to California where it remained in storage hidden away till Dec 2015. This was a special bottle (read, expensive).
It's December 2015 and for a special occasion I opened one of those bottles of wine that is always waiting for the just right time. You know those special bottles that you bury deep in storage to age a bit. The ones you had to remember not to let die a slow dusty death. The special occasion was my wife's birthday. The night started with bubbles at a top Carmel tasting room Caraccioli Cellars and then off to the lovely Grasing's for a nice dinner, which is where I revealed the special bottle. Kiwi and his wife were going to be included in experiencing this special bottle (really wished I had 2). I can hear some, ok most of you saying 'oh just shut up and tell us what it was.
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Look, critically this was not supposed to be one of the best vintages, but let me say bollocks, this wine was simply magnificent. A truly beautiful wine. Click on the link above for our thoughts.
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They are not what you may think. Tom really wants to have the entry level punter taken care of with quality wines at very affordable prices.
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Great wine to be enjoyed at Jim Barry Wines in the beautiful Clare Valley. Thanks to Tom and Peter for being great hosts.
Jim Barry wines is a must stop by if you are in the area.
Happy Wine Adventures,
Cheers,
WineWalkabout