See? I knew you guys weren’t just a bunch of walkabout, outback hooligans … tearin’ around in utes with roo lights … 
Still showing some real class 'n talent in the wine industry. 
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Mrs PP suffering from Covid so no wine for her but we are enjoying some fresh air on the balcony and I’m enjoying a nice Barolo (she’s the daughter of a 5’5” Colonel who was as tough as nails so Covid is a mild inconvenience for her).
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Thank you Eoink.
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There are some smaller producers in addition to the likes of Penfolds, you have given me some nice recommendations, Tasmanian bubbly, Langmeil etc.
One wine I really enjoyed was a Pedro Ximenez from the Dandelion Vineyard last Christmas, I have a bottle already set by for this Christmas ( if the port has past it’s best by). I don’t know if you have ever tried wines from the Noon vineyard, but I have a couple bottles stashed
Best wishes
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My first taste of this vintage - drinking well, matured tannins but nose not developed, although it’s straight from the cellar. It seems not quite as complex as the 2014’s but I’m no expert. I think it will go well with a pork chop later this evening.
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We’re going right bank tonight….oh no we’re not it’s actually a very cool Hawkes Bay cab merlot. We first tried this in 2006 at Annie’s Winebar in Christchurch and was my first ever Hawkes Bay wine - a real jaw dropper. And the sun shone and braai time too.
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Visited Te Mata in 2008. It was a favourite of ours 25 years ago. Started with the estate Syrah and then the Awatea. Helped expand our appreciation of wine.
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Best value wine they have IMHO. 
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Visiting best friends over the weekend. 
Fab food and wine…
Church Rd Tom Cab/Merlot 2013 NZ
Saint Joseph Syrah 2019 FR
Man O War Kulta Chardonnay 2019 NZ
Tony Bish Heartwood Chardonnay 2021 NZ
Esk Valley The Terraces Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc 2014 NZ
Bollinger PN TX 2017 FR
Bollinger La Grande Annee 2014 FR
Te Mata Coleraine 2000 NZ
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A rather elegant Bordeaux, Pagodes de Cos, St Estèphe 2011, served on a flight this afternoon.
Drank it while watching ‘Local Hero’ from 1983. I have the Knopfler soundtrack on vinyl but had never seen the film. Two great wins today.
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I just led a tasting for/with Violet Grgich (daughter of Mike) of a mini-recreation of the Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976 (where Californian wines won the day amongst eminent French tasters).
We had eight of the same wines (well same vineyards in two cases), at the same age as they were then.
Patricia Gallagher, who was the organiser Steven Spurrier’s business partner then, also came, and it was wonderful to meet her and hear the story first-hand.
This was an auction lot, which raised several hundred thousand $s for charity which had been won before covid and only now able to be organised. After a private dinner and concert at Versailles tomorrow they are off to Croatia to visit the Grgich property there.
It was great fun!
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Thanks for posting that @Rod_Smith , you’re a lucky guy. I love the movie with legendary Alan Rickman
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The movie was interesting, but took a lot of liberties with the truth and was a poor and inaccurate characterisation of Spurrier (both he and Grgich refused to take part, having seen the script. Mike, who actually made the winning wine did not even want to be depicted because he felt it was so unfair on Steven).
By coincidence Alan Rickman met Steven Spurrier a few years later and apologised to him for how it was scripted and he had played him. Certainly Steven was nothing like that. But the crux of the story is right.
Although I put on a tie yesterday, because I am sure that Steven would have done!!!
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Did you rate the wines for yourself?
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I did. Neither my scores (I knew which was which) nor Violet’s (she felt she might recognise her own wines), were taken into account.
The auction winners were wine lovers, but not professionals.
In my opinion the Mouton and the Grgich Chardonnay ‘won’. The guests went for the Stag’s Leap and the Grgich Chardonnay. Both the Burgundies were magnificent, but a bit closed at this stage, and the Roulot was tighter than…
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At risk of showing off yet further…
After the tasting, I re-decanted the wines into their original bottles. Of course the guests had their choice first. (And the venue’s sommelier got to try two.)
But I got to take home the Roulot, and the Las Cases.
When I say ‘take home’ - this was just under a third of a bottle, with the corks jammed right back in, packed in my luggage and then flown as hold luggage by easyjet.
I tasted (drank) them today, although I still have a large glass of Las Cases 19 as I type this.
The Roulot opened into magnificence (it really was tight, closed, almost reductive yesterday). I still doubt it worth €900 a bottle, and certainly not as good as 8 bottles of the Grgich wine, but it’s not often I get to drink €400’s worth of Burgundy as an unexpected ‘tip’.
The Las Cases 2019 on the other hand showed less well than the other three reds yesterday. It was - to be expected really - closed and sealed by its oak, with an earthy almost tertiary fruit obscured quality. But again, overnight after sploshing around in a half-empty bottle at 30,000ft, it has developed into something wonderful to drink.
I intend to develop all this into an article and will, with Richard’s permission, post a link or clue to that when I have. Talking of which, I owe Richard an apology for having simply copied and pasted something above which he had to waste time moderating as it contained a political analogy - Sorry Richard!
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I decant the reds that we regularly drink. Not sure I’m up to sending them off on a round trip with Easyjet though . 
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It’s up there with the food-blender method of aeration for sure !
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The posts above are another great example of why I enjoy this community chat. Thank you Rod et. al.
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I am also a big Alan Rickman fan. I’ve enjoyed all his movies, whether they are accurate or not. I suspect most ‘true story’ movies are very inaccurate.
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