Whenever we see each other in person, Chris and I (like all good winos) like to bring a selection of bottles to share. Our recent travels in New Zealand were no different, and we were able to taste our way through an interesting and, at times, remarkable series of wines. Certainly, I tasted a couple of stunning North American wines that Chris was generous enough to share with me, along with a bottle of 2000 Louis Roederer Cristal (“left over” from his recent wedding) that kicked off our first tasting session.

I must admit, I’m not as well versed in the world of Champagne as I’d like to be, but even a relative novice like me can tell this wine is bloody good. “Burnt toast,” blurted both Dan and I at the same time. “Pain grillé,” corrected Chris. After all, it’s Champagne! A complex and remarkable array of notes that kept changing as we worked our way through the bottle. Brioche, pear cider, something medicinal and herbal too. What struck me about this wine is how nimble it is, especially considering its grand reputation. It’s long and powerful in the mouth, yet without heaviness, and displays a remarkably smooth, chalk-like mouthfeel.

Dinner wasn’t quite ready, so we needed (and I use that term loosely) another aperitif wine. Opening the fridge revealed a chilled bottle of Grosset’s Springvale Riesling from 2008. This is such an explosively aromatic wine, it was fun to observe everyone’s reactions around the room. It’s almost Sauvignon Blanc-like in intensity. If anything, I enjoyed this more than last time, due no doubt to the sparkling company.

Next up was another wine I’d never tasted and probably would never have heard of if not for Chris’s conspicuous talent for seeking out unusual wines: Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2003. It’s a Bordeaux blend from the Okanaga Valley in British Columbia. A smokey, vegetal, funky nose that also shows some lightly stewed fruit. Those who dislike green notes in their Cabernet probably won’t enjoy this aroma profile, but I don’t mind some vegetal complexity when it’s balanced with the other elements, and this wine strikes me as one that treads the right path here. On the palate, strong notes of smoked sausage and fruit ride an acid-driven structure. Medium bodied, this wine shows fabulous complexity (including the beginnings of some tasty bottle age), and is remarkably cohesive both in structure and flavour. For me, it was wine of the night and certainly one of the wines of the trip.

After this elegant wine, the Wendouree Malbec 2006 was a relative disappointment. Chris identified the fruit here as rather confected, which it is in a jammy, Malbec way. There are also notes of rose water, cough syrup and eucalyptus. A very tasty flavour profile, for sure. What’s missing right now is a sense of poise and coherence. The wine is, frankly, all over the place, with disjointed acidity, awkward tannins and no sense of progression on the palate. However, I think it’s just young. I’ll leave the rest of my stash alone for a few years before retasting.