| Australian | 2837 |
| Italian | 1219 |
| Imported | 676 |
| Burgundy | 573 |
| Champagne | 391 |
| New Zealand | 328 |
| Bordeaux | 296 |
| Rhone | 276 |
| Sauternes / Barsac | 231 |
| France | 139 |
| Chablis | 137 |
| Port | 78 |
| Spirits | 74 |
| Whisky | 60 |
| Total Lots: | 7315 |
| WENDOUREE | 2017 |
| D'ARENBERG The Dead Arm | 2007 |
| PENFOLDS Grange Hermitage | 1985 |
| ROCKFORD Rifle Range | 2011 |
| HOUGHTON Gladstones | 2003 |
| MCWILLIAM'S Mount Pleasant Mauri... | 2011 |
| PENFOLDS Bin 2 | 2012 |
| PENFOLDS Bin 2 | 2012 |
| ROCKFORD Basket Press | 2014 |
| ROCKFORD Basket Press | 2015 |
| PENFOLDS Grange |
| HENSCHKE Hill of Grace |
Here is a list of some of the birth year wine lots in the current auction catalogue. Search for any birth year by using the 'search' button on the tool bar above the current auction page on the Sterling web site. If you have and trouble finding the vintage you need give Sterling a call on 1800 800 959 and we will try our best to track an example down.
PENFOLDS Grange Hermitage Shiraz 1955MOST DECORATED - PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Bin 95 - Rewards of Patience - Drink now. Medium crimson. Fresh and mature with parsnip, aniseed and slightly soupy miso and demi-glace notes with a touch of crushed ant. Developed gamey, roasted walnut, roasted parsnip, dark chocolate and leathery flavours, with fine loose-knit/sinewy tannins and long fresh acidity. Some dried roses and vellum notes. Still holding, but rare. 90 percent shiraz and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Magill Estate and Morphett Vale (Adelaide), Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley) and McLaren Vale. The most decorated Grange – winner of 12 trophies and 52 gold medals during its relatively short career on the Australian wine show circuit. Spent only nine months in oak. Named by US magazine Wine Spectator as one of 12 “Wines of the Millennium” in 2000. Bin 95 is the most common bottling and commercially available. Also released as Bins 13, 14, 53, 54 and 148A. “Still showing some cut flowers, mocha and sweet fruits but not a great bottle despite its fame and history.” (JH) shoulders, expansive tannins and slightly menacing snarl despite its flagging energy.” (NR)
| NIK 0555 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine Clinic 2018, slight label damage | Current Bid: $8000 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
| NIK 0146 | 1 BOTTLE Penfolds Red Wine 2010 Clinic & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $800 | |
| NIK 0147 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $640 |
AUSTIN A55? - Ask Ford Prefect
| NIK 0181 | 1 BOTTLE Level down approx. 4cm to 5cm & label damage | Current Bid: $360 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence PENFOLDS FOUR STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink Soon. Medium-deep brick crimson. Intense roasted walnut panforte and hazelnut aromas with apricot, stone fruit, cedar and floral notes. Generous developed panforte and apricot flavours, sweet and plentiful tannins and underlying roasted walnut, grilled nut, vanilla oak complexity with integrated acidity. Finishes slightly leathery but chalky firm with attractive espresso and ground coffee notes. Just past its peak of development, although the elements are still aligned. Rare. 95 percent shiraz, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Morphett Vale (Adelaide), McLaren Vale. Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner. Released as Bin 95 (also as Bins 69, 70 and 71). “Dried leaves, faded roses, liquorice and ecclesiastical smoke. Muscular firm in structure with the fruit fading away.” (NR) “Spice box, cedar and sandalwood. Tertiary on entry but the finish still carries delicate sweet fruit. Graceful and elegant.” (FW)
| NIK 0480 | 1 BOTTLE High shoulder & cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $48 |
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence - PENFOLDS FOUR STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink Soon. A sturdy Grange with surprising richness and muscular frame. Barnyard notes are now beginning to dominate but some good bottles around. 90 percent shiraz, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and Coonawarra.
CLINIC CERTIFICATION - Buy with confidence
PERFECT 50TH - Magnums of Redmans Cabernet Sauvignon - From when Redmans Claret was King! Penfolds Grange was a rival!
| NIK 0507 | 1 MAGNUM Into neck & slight label damage | Current Bid: $160 |
| NIK 0391 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $160 |
| NIK 0574 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck, slight label damage | Current Bid: $400 |
| TMA 0002 | 1 BOTTLE High shoulder & cellar damaged label - No Sterling insurance/shipping insurance for this lot | Current Bid: $253 |
| NIK 0408 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder, cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $144 |
| JAI 0055 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $43 |
| ADA 0002 | 1 BOTTLE Very high shoulder | Current Bid: $40 | |
| GOG 0310 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck & slight label damage | Current Bid: $25 |
PENFOLDS FOUR STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2035 - Deep crimson. Intense graphite, herb garden, mulberry and blackberry fruits with dark chocolate, mocha and liquorice notes. Ample blackberry, mulberry, redcurrant, sage and tobacco flavours, fine plentiful gritty muscular tannins and mocha/dark chocolate oak notes. Finishes brambly/gravelly firm with attractive sweet fruit. Generously concentrated with a balanced framework of oak and tannin. 94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and Magill Estate (Adelaide). “Vibrant and precise with exotic sappy, bitter cherry, redcurrant spice aromas, lovely richness of flavours, fleshy textures and firm tannins.” (JR) “Beautifully pitched red fruits, dry roasted spice, expensive leather and some warm earth. Perfectly integrated and proportioned tannins, acid and oak.” (NR)
| ADA 0032 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck, slight label damage | Current Bid: $49 | |
| ADA 0033 | 1 BOTTLE Into neck | Current Bid: $44 |
INTENSE NOTES - RP95 - The 1995 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Medium garnet colored with a touch of brick, it needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock the intense notes of baked plums, dried mulberries and boysenberry preserves with hints of black truffles, Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars and dusty soil, plus wafts of beef drippings and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers good weight and generous fruit, supported by plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with loads of earth, sautéed herbs and mineral-inspired flavors.
| 106 0957 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $400 |
| ACC 10184 | 1 500ML BOTTLE | Current Bid: $49 |
| MUL 2116 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $92 | |
| MUL 2115 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $92 | |
| MUL 2114 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $92 |
| WVB 0042 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $160 |
FOR TRUE CONNOISSURS - RP95+ - The 2004 Syrah Piggott Range (from 40-year-old vines) requires 3-4 years of cellaring. This is a powerful, intense Syrah meant for true connoisseurs who have cold cellars as well as enough patience to wait it out. A perfume of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blackberries, roasted coffee, pepper, spice, bacon fat, and a subtle touch of eucalyptus is followed by a deep, rich, full-bodied wine that should age for 20-25 years.
| ACC 15678 | 1 MAGNUM Level down 5.0 to 6.0cm from cork, signs of past leaking | Current Bid: $99 | |
| ACC 15679 | 1 MAGNUM Level down 5.0 to 6.0cm from cork, signs of past leaking | Current Bid: $99 |
POWERHOUSE - JH96 - A veritable powerhouse, as the wine usually is. This is deadly serious cabernet sauvignon, like a knight in full-body armour. Inside there is a wealth of blackcurrant/ blackberry fruit, and tannins as a second line of defence. When and how to attack is the question. Two Trophies and Four Gold Medals
| JOH 0047 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $58 | |
| JOH 0048 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $58 | |
| JOH 0049 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $58 | |
| JOH 0050 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $58 |
BEAUTIFUL - JH96 - Deep purple; a beautiful wine in every respect; purity of classic varietal fruit; texture, structure and length all perfect; fine tannins and integrated oak. Cabernet Malbec. Six Trophies
| XWA 2250 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $96 | |
| XWA 2249 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $96 | |
| XWA 2248 | 1 MAGNUM Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $96 |
SEAMLESS - JH96 - The fruit literally sings, appropriate given Leeuwin's annual concerts; white peach, nectarine and grapefruit are the s opranos, barrel ferment and mlf the orchestra behind, the result seamless but synergistic
| XLE 1066 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $214 | |
| XLE 1065 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $214 | |
| XLE 1064 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $214 |
STAR FLEET COMMAND - Mission Moss Wood, boldly going were no Wine Fam has been before - BIG THING MAGESTIC MONUMENT - House Score 9/10 - JH95 - Classic, austere regional/varietal expression; curiously, the grip is more evident on entry than on the finish and aftertaste, thanks to superfine tannins. NB 6l Imperial - Freight restrictions
| PMU 0019 | 1 IMPERIAL Ex-cellar - Freight only to buyers in Western AustraliaEx-cellar | Current Bid: $3528 |
| ROW 0033 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $32 |
PERFECT 21ST - PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience - Drink now to 2040 Medium-deep crimson. Fresh dark cherry/kirsch, blackcurrant and mocha aromas with graphite notes. Inky and seductive with smooth and sweet dark cherry and cassis flavours, fine satin-like textures, superb inky complexity and espresso oak notes. Finishes firm. A classic Bin 389 year with superb vinosity and maturation characters. “Expansive with highly floral aromatics, cherry and redcurrant fruits and spice cake notes. Gets better and better with air.” (JR) “A dark fruit profile with liquorice, lavender and cedar notes. Sinewy and finely tapered with gently gritty tannins.” (NR)
VERY RARE - VERY SPECIAL - RP99+ - The release of the 2004 Bin 60A following the epic 1962 Bin 60A is old news now, but the wine was looking very fine indeed when I tasted it so I thought I’d add a note. Blended of 56% Coonawarra Cabernet from Block 20 and 44% Barossa Shiraz from Koonunga Hill Block 56G and Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, the wine was matured in 100% new American oak hogsheads for 13 months. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers restrained notes of game, smoked meat, earth, blackberry and black currant liqueurs, yeast, marmite-toast plus whiffs of dried lavender, cedar and bark. Very crisp, very tight and very firm, this taut medium-bodied wine is still all structure at this stage, going very long and earthy in the finish. Give it time and consider broaching it from 2014. It should drink well into the 2030s if not beyond. With a lot of changes happening around the Foster’s Group, it is business as usual at Penfolds…which seems to operate within its own world. But this is no small world. The vineyard holdings here are vast and the connections with growers go back generations. Chief winemaker Peter Gago is the very well spoken front-man for the production team backed-up Kym Schroeter in charge of the whites and Steve Lienert crafting some very fine, consistent and sometimes inspired reds. If Champagne is all about the art of blending, then Penfolds is the Champagne of Australian wine. Those that think large companies producing wines that emphasize blending can’t make great wines need to think about the Champagne model or simply try some of Penfolds top wines to become believers. That said – check out their recent single vineyard release: the very special 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon, the first release of a wine made purely from this 100+ year old single block (perhaps the oldest block of Cabernet in the world?) since 1996.
| JON 0241 | 1 MAGNUM Very high shoulder | Current Bid: $348 |
FABULOUS - RP97 - It’s not known exactly when the Kalimna Block 42 was planted but there are suggestions that the vines existed during the latter part of the 19th Century. They could be the oldest Cabernet vines in the world, although the famous Metala Cabernet vineyard in Langhorne Creek was known to have been planted in 1891 so could very well pre-date Kalimna. Regardless, I’ve been there and the vines are truly old. Only very rarely does Penfolds release this as a single vineyard wine, when the Cabernet is so fabulous it can’t possibly be blended. The 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon was such a vintage. Matured in 100% new American hogsheads for 13 months, it displays a very deep garnet-purple color and profoundly earthy / gamey aromas over black cherry preserves, creme de cassis plus scents of leather, pencil shavings, Mediterranean herbs, black truffles, underbrush and black olives. The elegant, medium-bodied palate is tightly-knit and led by structure with a high level of grainy tannins, very high acid and a long earthy finish. Approachable now, it should continue to evolve and drink to 2025+.
| EDW 0002 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $500 | |
| JOE 0016 | 1 BOTTLE Cellar damaged label | Current Bid: $499 | |
| WAY 0082 | 1 BOTTLE BOXED | Current Bid: $460 |
THE PALATE DELIVERS ALL THAT THE BOUQUET PROMISES - JH98 - Saturated purple-crimson colour; has an amazing depth to the bouquet, oak and black fruits already seamlessly woven; the longer you spend inhaling the aromas, the more you learn about the wine within, in much the same way as a Grand Cru red burgundy. The palate delivers all that the bouquet promises, and then some; it has absolutely perfect proportions to the river of flavours running through blackberry, Satsuma plum, licorice and spice; the tannins are quite active, but totally balanced and ripe.
| BRE 0105 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $694 |
| STO 0166 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $48 | |
| STO 0190 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $56 |
| ADA 0028 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $23 |
| TMA 0001 | 1 BOTTLE Slightly stained label | Current Bid: $60 |
GRACE & REFINEMENT - RP95 - The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento is developing beautifully. Whereas the 2006 possesses considerable power, the 2004 is all about grace and refinement. The wine literally floats on the palate with silky red berries, flowers, licorice and spices. A bright, salivating finish gives the 2004 its sense of proportion. This is another stunningly beautiful Brunello from Col d’Orcia that promises to drink well for many, many years. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2044.
| SHA 0020 | 1 BOTTLE Slight label damage | Current Bid: $157 |
| XDV 0028 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $374 | |
| XDV 0027 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $374 | |
| XDV 0026 | 1 BOTTLE Ex-cellar | Current Bid: $374 |
| ACC 16561 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 | |
| ACC 16562 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 | |
| ACC 16563 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $94 |
OUTSTANDING - RP90 - While La Mission Haut-Brion’s 2004 is not one of this estate’s top successes, it is an outstanding wine, no doubt because of this extraordinary terroir. Deep ruby/purple with notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with black cherries, cassis, and a hint of scorched earth, medium body, sweet tannin, and a good, but uninspiring finish, this attractive, mid-weight La Mission should age nicely for 15 or more years.
| EIO 0237 | 1 BOTTLE | Current Bid: $353 |
The Hill of Grace Market