2005 Hay Shed Hill Chardonnay Pitchfork

Halliday Wine Companion

• By James Halliday
  7/19/2006, (See more on Halliday Wine Companion...)

  (Hay Shed Hill Wines Pitchfork Margaret River Chardonnay) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/27/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (HAY SHED Chardonnay Pitchfork) Hay Dear Friends, One has to ask "why?" when we've offered this 3-4 other times - it is an offer and wine that will not die and as long as we continue to receive requests for it (far more than the usual wine) I will continue to squeeze every last bottle out of them. Maybe you consumed most of yours over the summer but the requests have started to increase again (Thanksgiving?) so here you go.... for the last time. Seriously, this is the last time (they don't have any wine left to offer and I think it's time to move on anyway...after one last parcel). You can look up TN's on this item in a multitude of places but this wine has become the Seven Buck Chuck of the collector crowd - from 100% Margaret River Chardonnay grown on their property and at their neighbor's estate, this is real, hands-on wine from a meticulous producer that was never intended to be sold for less than $15-18 in the US (or more). I'm not sure I would pay $20 for this but, in today's wine-world, this low price (for a small-batch imported wine) is just about impossible. Still holding on strong, in fact many of you may prefer it now than a year ago, this wine is an anomaly in a universe of over-priced wine trying to convince you of greatness - this wine prefers to show up at your party or on your back deck for an easy-going night of frivolity and conversation that needs no pretense. One of our best bargains of the last decade has its final day in the sun... (The original offer is below for more information) This parcel has perfect storage ONE FINAL SHIPMENT ONLY 2005 Hay Shed Hill Chardonnay "Pitchfork" (Margaret River) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus7688

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/8/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Hay Shed PITCHFORK Chardonnay) Bargain Reprise Dear Friends, This one's for all the new people (I should say new friends) that have signed up in the last week or so (probably from the article that came out) - for you old-timers and long-term Garagiste members, you can have at this as well.... With all the sign-ups, one thing was clear - you asked for one of our crazy, inexpensive wines that was still high in quality - here you go. The Hay Shed Chardonnay (Pitchfork) has been one of our most popular wines for the past few years and it's a nice little introduction to what we do here - boutique-level wine with the finest provenance in the world at the absolute lowest prices we can muster. Seems simple enough but it is anything but. This wine continues to run circles around commercial wines at this price-point and while the winery still has pristine stock, we will continue to offer it. This parcel is from the same original stock and has the same level of provenance - it is in perfect condition and has been cellared at 53 degrees since release: (for background info, the original offer is below) First come first served up to 48/person until we run out: 2005 Hay Shed Pitchfork Chardonnay (Margaret River) Thank you, - Jon Rimmerman ********************** (original offer from a few months ago) Friday SPECIAL Dear Friends, Ok, this is in the middle of the night on Thursday but I'm sure most of you will see this Friday morning so I'll make it a Friday Special... For $100 this week, you could have started a mini-cellar. Here's a deal that we've offered before and it's been so well received that I'm a little taken aback by its following. I knew the wine was decent, even pretty good but I've heard references to Puligny-Montrachet? I don't think so but this wine has surprised more than just me and all of us can find a use for this somewhere. The 7-buck chuck of Margaret River? Margaret River's biggest strength is Chardonnay - it is potentially longer-lived than the best estate Cabernet from the region (see old vintages of Leeuwin Chardonnay, still going after 25 years) and it can age very slowly. The Pitchfork is from excellent fruit and it shows - it's another 2005 white from this region that proves how strong the vintage was for Chardonnay (Campbell Mattinson gave the 2005 Leeuwin Chard 97pts and I believe he said it was the greatest young white ever from Australia - this wine isn't the Leeuwin. All of the material for this wine was sourced from the Hay Shed Hill estate fruit or from their friends in Margaret River - none of it is cast off fruit. I'm actually sniffing the wine right now (my last bottle) and I can see why so many of you tag this with Puligny meets the New World - the nose is gorgeous and varietal - the palate is long (I can't believe I'm writing that) and ample. It is not very New World in style - more Burgundy meets Margaret River. Off all the Hay Shed deals we've offered, this one may be the best of the lot - it's a ridiculous value for this price. I don't think it's in any danger of decline either - the fruit seems vibrant and strong at this stage. Look up whatever TN's you need to on this but I'm sure they are complimentary - the wine is tough to ignore at this price level (this is not the version with the Semillon/Sauv Blanc - this is the more expensive 100% Chardonnay). If you have a wedding this summer, put a few cases of this in the fridge and let your guests enjoy - it's probably the best bargain wedding white they will ever have. This parcel has been perfectly stored since release (and the freshness shows it). 2005 Hay Shed Hill Pitchfork (Chardonnay) - SOLD OUT Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Aus7223