James Haselgrove Wines’

Here's what some of our customers and reviewers have to say about the wines from the James Haselgrove Wines' Cellar
 

June 2008
Dear Nick

I have purchased a lot of your wonderful 2005 Cafe Block and have it stored in my New York wine cellar - 55F and 60% humidity. 

Could you please tell me how long you think the wine will cellar for?

Myself and many of my friends eagerly await 2006 and as we believe we have
have started one of the GREAT verticals in many years of collecting. We have never had a first vintages win a Grand Champion award - well done!

If you are ever in NY, please let us know and I will arrange a wine dinner with many high end consumers, featuring Cafe Block and your other wines. The ex SA Premier and NY Consulate General - John Olsen loved Cafe Block and has poured it at the CG's residence. He would definitely attend along with a bunch of his mates.

Best Regards,

Colin Goundrey
Downunder Wines
Mamaroneck, New York 10543.

Nicks Reply

Dear Colin,

Thankyou for the wonderful note.
2005 Cafe Cellaring – I would expect that the wine will enter it’s best drinking period 5-8 years from bottling (from Dec 07) and then stay on its ‘plateau’ for up to another 10 years......given good cellaring and good cork performance. However, as people have many and varied palates, I always recommend regular sampling to determine the best drinking......but sadly it always seems to be the last bottle that is the best !
Of course it depends on how much a drinker enjoys mature Shiraz characters. I’m opening wines made in the early 90’s and they are still hanging in there.....lovely mature drops. Certainly a contrast to the fruit bombs made by many others, today.
Wine reviews are simply an assessment at a point in time....they change all the time as I am sure you have experienced. I know and understand the pedigree of the vineyards and we are sure they will stand the test of time.
I think the 06’s are excellent and will be a benchmark vintage.....the only significant change is that we switched to the DIAM cork to maximise the quality and preserve the fresh fruit characters.
John Olsen, whilst he was premier of South Australia, opened a winery that I built in 2000 (but not the OLD FAITHFUL facility) so it is great to see him continuing to support our region's wines !!! We need more like him!!
I have copied John Larchet on this note as he is our partner and distributor of Old Faithful and I am sure he would be interested to help arrange a dinner down the track.....

For now good luck and thankyou for your feedback.

Nick Haselgrove
 

Blackbilly McLaren Vale recent reviews in the USA:
From the July/August 2006 edition of Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. By Josh Raynolds.
2005 Blackbilly Wines Pinot Gris Fleurieu - 87
(US$15) Pink-tinged straw. Bright and racy on the nose, with mineral-laced aromas of pear, apple and honeydew melon. Fresh, weighty flavors of melon and orchard fruits accented by a note of licorice. This packs a lot of flavor, finishing with a note of pear skin and a touch of warmth.
2004 Blackbilly Wines Shiraz McLaren Vale - 90
(US$19) Deep violet. Lush, spicy and intensely floral, with strong blackberry and cherry cola aromas. Big and rich, but the flavors of cassis, blackberry and baking spices are finely etched. Offers great lift on the impressively concentrated finish, which expands and sweetens as the wine opens in the glass. A great value. (Blackbilly USA Agents - The Australian Premium Wine Collection, www.tapwc.com.au)

2004 & 2005 Sold out - 2006  now available

2002 Blackbilly

Out with the old - in with the new! The 2001 vintage of Blackbilly has just sold out and is being replaced by the very similar 2002 Blackbilly Shiraz. Winemaker Nick Haselgrove has hit the bullseye once again with this next vintage of stunning Blackbilly. Read "Unforgettable Highlights" below to catch up on a few success stories of this wine in northern California in 2004.

Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

Hotel Sommelier Rom Toulon was one of the new school sommeliers featured in Linda Murphy's article in the San Francisco Chronicle's Magazine (August 29th, 2004). This discerning 25 year old Frenchman from the Loire Valley says, "My approach is to have fun with wine myself and make it fun for my guests." Rom is our kind of guy! He has bought a number of our wines and has had spectacular success with the Blackbilly Shiraz. Rom and the Blackbilly both looked great in the photo accompanying the article! January 2005

From Our Customers

Amelia Gledhill 28th December 2006,
Hi there! I felt strangely compelled to write to you to say that I recently tried your Blackbilly Shiraz and found it to be one of the nicest wines I have tasted in recent years. I just love the "smokey oakey" hit! Very unusual in the price-range. Anyhow, keep up the good work, you have won a devoted customer! :) cheers, Amelia

29th December 2006
Just wanted to let you know we opened a 1991 Futures Shiraz last night. Agreed by all that it was the best wine we had opened in a long time. The label had a number 53 in pen on the bottom left of the label. Hope this information is of use to you.
Regards Chris & Joanne Watson.

8th May 2007
However, I have been meaning for some weeks to comment on the 2005 Futures, which I think is one of the best, if not the very best, of the entire series.  In fact, sensational ! Congratulations !    The main difficulty is going to be keeping it long enough to enjoy its full development over the next twenty years !
I look forward to next year's release.
Alan Stocks

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