| |
Over the past year or so I've bought quite a lot of wine via Gray's Online
auctions, much of it to share with a group of wine-drinking friends who
entrusted me with a budget to spend on red wine. To some extent it's a bit
of a love-hate relationship: their auction system isn't great, they don't
respond quickly to emails and they have a fair number of erroneous or misleading
listings in the wines I've looked at (see examples
here,
here. On the other hand there are some
genuine bargains to be had on some quite good wines.
Delivered prices as low as one third of RRP on reasonable
wines are possible if you are patient. This article will describe my experiences with Gray's, warts and all, and
list the wines I've bought with my personal assessment of them in terms of
quality and value.
My first foray wasn't too successful and it took me a while to go back after
that, but the next experience wasn't much better. This was despite a fair
amount of pre-buying research.
My first purchase in about September 2006 was a 6-pack of Cathcart Ridge
Reserve Shiraz 2004 for $21pb delivered, this was a fairly nice wine -
underneath what I considered to be a dose of brett that was fairly mild in
absolute terms, but too
much for me, so the remaining 4 went off to auction, I hope the buyer enjoyed
them more than I did. This wine still appears fairly regularly on Gray's
and is still on sale at a couple of merchants, avoid if your are a brett-nazi
like me.
My second purchase was a 6-pack of Giant Steps Sexton Jones Block McLarenVale Shiraz
2004 (March 2007), blessed with a positive James Halliday Review and under screwcap, it
looked a good deal. Unfortunately the bottle I tried didn't match the
glowing description and again seemed to me to have some brett. My
assessment was strongly denied by Phil Sexton, who even had a bottle from his
stock tested to prove there was no brett. I decided to test the 30-day
money-back guarantee (on wines sourced direct from wineries/distributors rather
than investment/private cellars). The conditions on this are pretty
daunting though, Gray's will pay the freight back to them and assess the wine,
but if they don't agree the wine is faulty or doesn't match the sale
description they will send it back to you and you pay the freight both ways.
"On receipt by Graysonline of your returned item - they will
be inspected and tested to determine the condition and, if the item is to be
found in good working order and as per the sale/lot description, your claim is
found to be invalid, the goods will be returned to you and you will be charged
all freight charges incurred by us in relation to the return and re-return of
the goods, and in taking these steps you hereby authorise to charge your credit
card with any expenses incurred by us." After failing to negotiate on that aspect I returned the wine anyway and
eventually received a full refund.
On this note, Gray's occasionally have special auctions of "returned wine".
By their rules for returning wine, it must be faulty or at least much
different/lesser quality than the auction lot description, so are they knowingly
selling returned faulty or mis-described wine? Or maybe they are more
generous at times with returns than their returns policy suggests?
After those experiences it took until June 2007 to try again, when the
Heritage Fine Wines liquidator held a series of wine auctions via Gray's.
These must have been regarded as a huge success, there was some good free
publicity in the press and anything with a well-known name went for ridiculous
prices. There were however some lesser-known wineries with some good wines
that were going at a reasonable price. I secured funding from some friends
and set out to get a few bargains. This is what I got over the series of
ex-HFW auctions:
|
Wine |
Qty |
Bid Price |
Total |
Per Bottle |
Best Case retail
price |
Rating |
|
Chateau Leamon
Reserve Shiraz (Bendigo) 2001 |
12 |
238 |
288.70 |
$24.06 |
$35 |
JH 93 drink
2004-2015 |
|
Sandhurst Ridge
Shiraz (Bendigo) 2002 |
12 |
179 |
215.85 |
$17.99 |
25 |
JH 93 drink to 2015 |
|
Chateau Leamon
Reserve Shiraz (Bendigo) 2002 |
12 |
228 |
277.20 |
$23.10 |
35 |
JH 93 drink to 2017 |
|
Willow Bridge Estate
Black Dog Shiraz 2002 Geographe WA |
6 |
114 |
141.10 |
$23.52 |
49 |
JH 94 drink to 2017 |
|
Willow Bridge Estate
Reserve Shiraz 2001 MR |
12 |
109 |
135.35 |
$11.28 |
25 |
JH 90 drink to 2015 |
|
Carlei Green
Vineyards Central Vic Shiraz 2002 |
12 |
154 |
187.10 |
$15.59 |
23 |
JH 90 drink to 2011 |
|
Willespie MR Shiraz
1999 |
12 |
154 |
187.10 |
$15.59 |
$30 |
Sweet, but yummy |
|
Mouthpiece Paul
Lindner Barossa Shiraz 2002 |
12 |
129 |
158.35 |
$13.20 |
20 |
Good current
drinking |
|
Somerled
Steeplechase McLarenVale Shiraz 2002 |
12 |
114 |
141.10 |
$11.76 |
20 |
OK, not as good as
the Mouthpiece |
Buoyed by the relative success of these buys, they were all quite drinkable
and reasonable value if not all half-price super-bargains, I kept watching the
daily rotation of auctions and decided to have a few more punts.
One feature of Gray's listings is the use of the term Original Retail Price (ORP)
when quoting a putative value of some wines offered. They do however
disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of this quotation: "In
certain circumstances, an item for sale on the site may display the
manufacturers Original Retail Price (ORP). All ORPs are prices supplied by the
manufacturer (or retailer) of the item at the time of the items original sale,
and therefore such ORPs may not be current at the time of the online auction of
the item. Graysonline takes no responsibility for the display of ORPs on any
item it offers for sale at an online auction on its site, and hereby advises all
bidders to satisfy themselves as to the value of the item being auctioned."
A cop-out if ever I saw one, especially if it's exclusive to Gray's they should
be able to check the bona fides of the claims. It isn't only on wine that
these (I think) misleading ORP's are quoted, I noticed some Sandisk 4gb SD (HDC)
memory cards listed with an ORP of $399. A quick Google search revealed
them on sale in Australia for under $60+postage, yet bidders were happily paying
around $90+15%+postage.
They do sometimes list RRP,
particularly against the wines exclusive to Grays, especially the Block 24
series. It's a bit of mystery to me how a wine that is made especially for
them (by Cheviot Bridge) and is offered exclusively via auction and not at normal retail can have an RRP, but I guess it's legal. They have been quoted in the press as being
happy that one of the wines averaged $8-$9pb at auction against a quoted RRP of
$20 (or was it $30?) and the currently listed Block 24 Coonawarra Cabernet 2003 sold recently for
$99-$104/12 with a quoted RRP of $360, make of that what you will.
There are also some French wines that appear in auctions, often listed as
"exclusive to Graysonline" and quoting ORP in Euros, with "expect to pay $xx in
Australia". The quoted ORP seemed fanciful for the unknown labels being
offered, so I decided to potentially waste some money and try a few of the
offerings. These are what I bought:
|
Wine |
Qty |
Bid Price |
Total |
Per Bottle |
Quoted ORP |
My Assessment |
|
Chateau Le Bertanet, Bergerac Rouge 2000, Bordeaux |
6 |
64 |
83.60 |
$13.93 |
$95 |
A reasonably nice light "luncheon claret", Ok value at the price paid,
merlot dominant and quite varietal. |
|
Chateau La Dame de Landiras, Graves 2004, Bordeaux |
6 |
64 |
83.60 |
$13.93 |
$85 |
Light and a bit disjointed at this stage, not great drinking, may
integrate more in a year or two, cabernet dominant. |
|
Chateau Quattre, Cahors, 2005 SW France |
6 |
64 |
83.60 |
$13.93 |
$85 |
Nothing like the description, some varietal Malbec character and firmish
tannins, but green under ripe characters got progressively worse as it
breathed, I would have sent it back, but ran out of time before I went
O/S. Avoid. |
Personally, I think the ORP are quite fanciful and bear no relationship to
the actual worth of the wines. I was going to return the Ch Quattre, or
keep it if they could convince me that the ORP wasn't just a figment of
someone's imagination, but I ran out of time before I went O/S, the warranty
period is only 30 days. They also list currently some "New French" wines
with an ORP of $55, the labels alone should be enough to indicate, like the
others mentioned above, that it would be wise to divide these ORP by 10.
More recent lists of these types of French wines have
dropped the Euro ORP, but still have fanciful $AUD prices. At least people
have woken up and don't seem to be paying more than $10-$13 pb in many cases,
unless it is a recognizable name.
Undeterred by the mixed results with imports, I returned to watching the
Australia reds from reputable makers and have made quite a few more buys recently
to share with friends:
|
Wine |
Qty |
Bid Price |
Total |
Per Bottle |
Good retail
price |
Rating |
|
Ch Tanunda Grand
Barossa Shiraz 2005 (export back label, cork) |
6 |
64 |
83.60 |
$13.93 |
$30? |
Good Barossa shiraz,
but not outstanding or particularly distinctive, good value at this
price. |
|
Coriole "TOA"
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (export label, screwcap) |
12 |
79 |
100.85 |
$8.40 |
15 |
Firm and a little
lean, opens up with extended breathing, leave a year or two then drink
up, not a great wine. |
|
Willunga 100
Cabernet-Shiraz 2005 (export back label, screw cap) |
6 |
49 |
66.35 |
$11.05 |
18 |
JH 94 drink to 2020,
a little reductive, blew off quickly, good structure and complexity,
nice wine, bargain. |
|
Ulithorne Frux
Frugis Shiraz 2002 (cork) |
6 |
89 |
112.35 |
$18.73 |
33 |
JH 94 drink to 2017 |
|
Sir Paz Blocks A,B&D
Yarra Shiraz 2005 (cork) |
10 |
124 |
152.60 |
$15.26 |
32 |
JH 93 drink to 2015,
lots of cedary oak, nice cool-climate fruit, hope the fruit can cope
with the oak. |
|
Henry Martin
Sparkling Shiraz SA NV (cork) |
12 |
114 |
141.10 |
11.76 |
19 |
Good dense colour
and strong mousse, but not overly persistent, fruit sweet, not cloying,
good mouthfeel and pleasant lingering finish, 13.5%a/v, nice for the
price. |
|
Quadrant Coonawarra Cabernet 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
104 |
129.60 |
10.80 |
?? |
Apparently made by Jim Chatto, bursting
with vibrant fruit, spicy and varietal, nice wine for drinking over the
next 2-3 years, it doesn't have the structure for long cellaring. 14.5%
a/v |
|
Small Gully Barossa Shiraz 2001 (cork) |
6 |
49 |
66.35 |
11.06 |
?? |
Good dense colour,
plums and charcouterie nose and palate, quite rich and showing a little
of the warm vintage in the flavour profile, good drinking over the next
year or two though, 13.5% |
|
Henry Holmes Barossa Cabernet 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
119 |
146.85 |
12.24 |
$24 |
JH 93, drink to
2025 13.5% |
|
Two Hands Sophie's Garden Padthaway
Shiraz 2001 (Cork) |
12 |
199 |
238.85 |
19.99 |
$45? |
Good drinking with
time ahead of it yet, savoury, 14.5% |
|
Charles Cimicky Reserve Shiraz 2002
(Cork) |
12 |
219 |
261.85 |
21.82 |
$30 |
Lovely wine with
years to go. |
|
Heavens Gate Barossa Shiraz 2001 (cork) |
12 |
109 |
135.35 |
11.28 |
?? |
Volatile rubbish, avoid. |
|
Quartetto Reserve McLarenVale Shiraz
2001 (cork) |
12 |
119 |
146.85 |
12.24 |
??? |
Ready to drink,
and nice enough despite 16%a/v and reasonable value, fair amount of VA. |
|
Panther's Paw Yarra Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 (cork) |
12 |
74 |
95.10 |
7.93 |
$16 |
JH 87, drink to
2011 12.4%, good colour, some leafiness, but not overtly green, luncheon
wine |
|
Panther's Paw Yarra Cabernet-Merlot
2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
64 |
83.60 |
$6.97 |
$16 |
JH 89, drink to
2015 14.0%, A bit riper fruit than 2003, but a little tough on the
finish, may soften in a year or two. |
|
Merops Ornatus Margaret River Cabernet
Blend 2004 (cork) |
12 |
49 |
66.35 |
5.53 |
$18 |
JH 88, drink to
2012 14.1%, nice medium-bodied cabernet blend, great value at this
price. |
|
Pan Terra Langhorne Ck Shiraz 2004 (screwcap) |
6 |
29 |
43.35 |
7.23 |
$?? |
Soft
early-drinking style, but good flavour, reasonable balance. |
|
Henry Holmes Barossa Shiraz 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
99 |
123.85 |
10.32 |
$20 |
JH 90 to 2011.
Soft medium-bodied style, but good flavour, reasonable balance. 13.5% |
|
Kassebaum
Magdalena Barossa Shiraz 2005 (cork, unlabelled) |
12 |
79 |
100.85 |
$8.40 |
$30 |
JH 90 to 2015.
Nicely rich and ripe, but not overripe, spicy, balanced, good value,
I've bought 8 cases now for myself and friends. 14.8% |
|
Rutherglen
Estates Durif 2005 (screwcap) |
6 |
39 |
54.55 |
$9.14 |
$16 |
JH 92 to 2015. A
good Durif, full-bodied, seet-fruited but not over the top. 14.5%
(UK Export back label) |
|
Casa Freschi
Cabernet-Shiraz 2004 (unlabelled,
cork) |
12 |
29 |
43.35 |
$3.61 |
$? |
I checked with
Casa Freschi, they made the wine, but declined to comment on the $25 ORP.
It has the shortest cork I've ever seen in a table wine, so I doubt that
target price. It's a nice-enough BBQ wine with a reasonable
structure for short-term cellaring. |
|
Rosabrook MR
Chardonnay 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
74 |
95.10 |
$7.93 |
$18 |
I bought this for
my white-drinking friends, it's a bit oaky and under-fruited if you
drink it too cold, but apparently quite acceptable when slightly warmer
and open a while. |
|
Segreto Yarra
Chardonnay 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
59 |
77.85 |
$6.49 |
$? |
I bought this for
my white-drinking friends, light and crisp, varietal but lacking a bit
of flavour, quaff with fish and chips. |
|
Coriole Toa
Shiraz 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
74 |
95.10 |
$7.93 |
$? |
A Coriole export
label, it's more approachable than the Cabernet (see above) and quite
good drinking already. |
|
Archers Guild Mt
Benson Shiraz 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
39 |
54.55 |
$4.57 |
$? |
Made by Kreglinger,
quite a nice shiraz in the Limestone Coast flavour profile, good early
drinking. |
|
Rochecombe
Sparkling Chardonnay 2000 (cork) |
6 |
69 |
89.35 |
$14.89 |
$? |
Made by Kreglinger,
Tasmanian fruit, they make a $30+ Kreglinger Blanc de Blancs 2000, I
haven't tried it to compare, but this is a very nice bubbly for $15 and
I've bought some more at the same price, it often goes for more, so be
patient. |
|
Red Nectar
Barossa Shiraz 2005 (cork) |
6 |
44 |
60.60 |
$10.10 |
$22-$25 |
JH 90, drink to
2012. This has a USA (Grateful Palate) back label. |
|
Churchview MR
Shiraz 2004 (cork) |
12 |
64 |
83.60 |
$6.97 |
$22 |
JH 91, drink to
2020. Good value and will cellar for a while. |
|
Farmers Market
Eden Valley Chardonnay 2006 (screwcap) |
12 |
54 |
72.10 |
$6.01 |
$20? |
My white-drinking
friend is happy with this, said it's good drinking and very good value
at that price. |
|
Ferrier-Pope
Celebration Sparkling White 2001 (cork) |
6 |
64 |
83.60 |
$13.93 |
? |
From Smithbrook
(WA) fruit, made at Bridgewater Mill, 5 years on lees. Not as
"yeasty/leesy" as you might expect, but a fine, quite austere style,
good value. |
|
Farmers Market
Sparkling Cabernet 2002 (cork) |
6 |
34 |
49.10 |
$8.18 |
? |
Limestone Coast
Cabernet, made by Simon Adams, a pleasant change from sparkling shiraz,
obvious berry fruit, fairly sweet but not cloying, OK at the price. |
|
Sandalford MR
Chardonnay 2004 (screwcap) |
6 |
49-74 |
66.35-95.10 |
$11.06-$15.85 |
$25-$30 |
Lovely chardonnay,
if you are into such wines, good fruit and beautifully-judged French
oak. My WWD friend jumped at this one. I've seen this go for
$124++ in some daily auctions, I have bought
6 more 6-packs for friends @ $49 to $59, patience is
the name of the game. |
|
CJ Pask Gimblett
Rd Chardonnay 2006 (screwcap) |
12 |
89-99 |
112.35-128.35 |
$9.36-10.32 |
$25+ |
A couple of
friends shared the first case and liked it so much I had to get them
another, at a slightly higher price. |
|
Innocent
Bystander Sangiovese Merlot 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
49-54 |
66.35-72.10 |
$5.53-$6.01 |
$15+ |
A nice
ready-to-drink red, the blend actually works quite well, good quaffer. |
|
Garage Wines
Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
54 |
72.10 |
$6.01 |
?? |
Had a disulphide/mercapten
type problem, reductive stink/flavour that didn't blow off, returned for
refund. |
|
GJ Kidman
Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
24 |
37.60 |
$3.13 |
?? |
A touch chunky and
a little raw around the edges, but good drinking with a steak, good
mid-palate flavours. |
|
Wise Coat Door
Margaret River Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
44 |
60.60 |
$5.05 |
$10-$14 |
A ready-to-drink
quaffer. |
|
Broughton Lane
McLarenVale Shiraz 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
34 |
49.10 |
$4.09 |
$?? |
Medium-bodied,
reasonable McLarenVale shiraz typicity, inoffensive, very soft and ready to drink now. |
|
Cavalier Crest
Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
74 |
95.10 |
$7.93 |
$25 |
Quite firmly
structured, good cabernet typicity, will cellar. |
|
Briarose MR
Cabernet Merlot 2004 (screwcap) |
12 |
64 |
83.60 |
$6.97 |
$20+? |
Softer style,
drinking well now, nice wine for the price. |
|
Capricornia
Barossa Shiraz 2002 (cork) |
12 |
64 |
83.60 |
$6.97 |
$15 |
Tried 2 bottles, both
had a strong animal/horsey aroma/flavour, indicates 4-EP phenols from
Brett to me, returned for
refund. |
|
Cavalier Crest MR
Chardonnay 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
69 |
89.35 |
$7.45 |
$25 |
JH 93. Better if
not too cold, a bit lean, elegant style, my WWD friend didn't like it
much. |
|
Linfield Road
Barossa Shiraz 2003 (cork) |
6 |
19 |
31.85 |
$5.31 |
$20+ |
Just a touch of
unripe fruit character from the tough vintage, but still good drinking
on the second night, Ok for the price. |
|
Runaway Bay Clare
Shiraz 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
49 |
66.35 |
$5.53 |
$? |
Medium weight,
FAQ, OK quaffer, but wouldn't buy more. |
|
Briarose MR
Cabernet Merlot 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
74 |
95.10 |
$7.93 |
$20+? |
Softer style,
drinking well now, nice wine for the price. |
|
Garlands Mt
Barker Saros Cab Franc/Cab Sauv 2003 (DIAM) |
12 |
94 |
118.10 |
$9.84 |
$25 |
JH 93
to 2015. A lovely and distinctive wine, a bargain, still drinking well
on the third day. |
|
Hobeck Barossa
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
39 |
54.85 |
$4.57 |
$10 |
Clean, bright berry fruit, easy drinking if not hugely varietal.
Might cellar a few years. |
|
Domain Day Eden
Valley Riesling 2004 (screwcap) |
6 |
19 |
31.85 |
$5.31 |
$15 |
My
WWD friend liked this and snapped up a 6-pack, |
|
Domain Day
Quiddity Riesling 2006 (screwcap) |
12 |
19 |
31.85 |
$2.65 |
$? |
Another friend thought this was even better than the 2004, "fresh and
limey". |
|
Linke Barossa
Shiraz 2005 (cork) |
12 |
84 |
106.60 |
$8.88 |
$24 |
Rich,
ripe, soft, plums and dark chocolate, low acid, ready to drink now, v.
slightly pruney but not jammy, that will increase with time. 15.3% a/v |
|
Caledonia
Australis Gippsland Chardonnay 2003 (cork) |
12 |
54 |
72.10 |
$6.01 |
$20 |
JH
94, to 2011, back label 3-5 years cellaring, the back label is correct,
the fruit is starting to fade and a butterscotch character is dominant
over a thin middle palate. Avoid. |
|
Caledonia
Australis Gippsland Reserve Chardonnay 2001 (cork) |
6 |
49 |
66.35 |
$11.06 |
$40?
(ORP claimed is $60) |
Supposedly JH 95, but that appears to be for the standard chardonnay of
that year, not the Reserve I should have checked JO too, he is about
right with a drink to 2006 rating, it's fading and has some tinned
asparagus notes, only just drinkable according to my WWD friend. Avoid. |
|
Garland's Reserve
Mt Barker (WA) Chardonnay (screwcap) |
12 |
49 |
66.35 |
$5.53 |
$20 |
JH
90, to 2009, this one still has some life, moderately complex, not too
buttery, my WWD friend grabbed 6 of these. |
|
Stephen John Dry
Grown Clare Shiraz 2005 (cork) |
12 |
59 |
77.85 |
$6.49 |
$16-$20 |
JH
90, drink to 2015, nice deep colour, mid-weight, nice fruit, intense and
into the blackberry spectrum, 14.0%, nice
wine for the price. |
|
Hesperos Margaret
River Shiraz 2004 (Diam cork) |
12 |
44-49 |
60.60-66.35 |
$5.05-$5.53 |
$20 |
The
winery is still selling the 2002 vintage for $20, this is nice
medium-bodied shiraz, good
wine for the price, would cellar a few years if you wanted to, I've got
a third case on the way. |
|
Recent |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hardy's Bankside
SA Cabernet 2005 2005 (screwcap) |
12 |
44 |
60.60 |
$5.05 |
$? |
Export label, a bid hard-edged and lacking generosity. |
|
Sandalford
Protégé Margaret
River Shiraz 2005 (screwcap) |
6 |
24 |
37.60 |
$6.27 |
$18 |
The
winery is still selling the 2004 vintage for $18.95, this is very nice
medium-bodied shiraz with some classy oak overtones and will cellar a
few years if you want. |
|
Buckingham
Reserve Geographe Shiraz 2005 (Diam) |
6 |
24 |
37.60 |
$6.27 |
$? |
Classy medium-bodied shiraz entering it's drinking window, I've bought
several 6-packs for friends now. |
|
Kingston Estate
Concordia Barossa Cabernet 2006 (screwcap) |
12 |
69 |
89.35 |
$7.45 |
$? |
Nice,
ripe, juicy Cabernet, good drinking now or will cellar a few years.
Several case bought now. |
|
B3 Barossa Shiraz
2005 2006 (cork) |
12 |
64-69 |
83.60-89.35 |
$6.97-$7.45 |
$25? |
Very
good medium-bodied Barossa shiraz, with some spiciness. Good
drinking now and for the next 3-5 years. |
In summary then, it is possible to secure a bargain or two buying wine at Graysonline, but you need to be very careful with your research and bidding.
Most of my purchases have been to share with friends, it's a good way to spread
both the risk and the rewards. My advice is to do the
research, decide what delivered price you are willing to pay (never more than
50% of RRP) and start with a bid 2-3 increments below that. Be patient,
some wines appear day after day and there is sometimes a lull after initial
interest and before the wines are delivered and repeat buyers come back.
My failed bid list is several times longer than my win list. If you are a
subscriber to RBG I might be able to help with the research if you can't
find anything, but I expect you to have tried first.
To make sure I always know the final per bottle delivered price I have a table
of the bids and final prices for 6-packs and dozen lots (at $10/case freight,
make up your own with your freight rate):
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