Category Archives: New Zealand

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot 2005

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As the name indicates, a single vineyard wine from the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay. Mostly Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc too.Intense, slightly jammy but interesting red fruit flavours on the nose, supported by powdery vanilla oak and a distinctive clean salt water note (odd but attractive). Not hugely complex, and quite oaky, but nice nonetheless. The wine’s middle palate is disappointing in that it shows a good deal of fruit flavour, but also a prominence of oak that, for me, is detrimental to the wine’s balance. The oak continues to dominate the wine’s flavour profile as it progresses through the after palate and finish. Tannins are fine and puckeringly prominent.At the moment, this wine is way too oak-driven for my taste, and I’m not sure there’s the depth of fruit flavour to outlast the development of the oak-derived flavours in the bottle. It’s a shame because the fruit itself appears to be of good (if not outstanding) quality and interest. I’d like to see wine from this area done in a more restrained, fruit-driven style.Craggy RangePrice: $NZ29Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007

Te Mata Estate Woodthorpe Vineyard Chardonnay 2006

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This is a single vineyard wine from the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. According to the label, it’s gone through the gamut of winemaking tricks, including lees contact and malolactic fermentation. The nose immediately establishes the flavour profile of this wine’s fruit. It’s very much in the nectarine spectrum, quite ripe and with good complexity. There’s some spicy oak influence too, but it sits on the edges. The wine’s entry has good impact and spreads flavour quickly to the middle palate, where more of the same delicious fruit is evident. There’s some nuttiness, though I can’t detect the creaminess that might indicate lees stirring. There’s also a subtle butterscotch richness from the malo, but it’s very much a supporting note here, the fruit taking centre stage. Really good intensity of flavour, with a driving line that helps the fruit to sing. There’s a fair amount of acidity and this keeps the wine both focussed and fresh, although it also means there’s considerable astringency on the palate. The wine’s after palate continues on for some time, and the finish is of decent length, with echoes of the fruit seeming to stick to the back of the tongue. There are subtle phenolics that add some texture to the finish also.Really nice wine, this one. I think what impresses me most is the restraint of the winemaking combined with the intensity of the fruit flavour. Nice things to have, especially when it comes to Chardonnay. Good value too.Te Mata EstatePrice: $NZ23Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2006

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I couldn’t resist picking up a few bottles of wine at the Auckland duty free stores. In fact, the selection had quite a few little numbers that were of interest. I grabbed this one immediately. Earlier in the year, I had the pleasure of visiting Central Otago and the Mount Difficulty cellar door. I quite enjoyed the wines there, and so jumped at the chance to taste this one (at local prices too!).Lovely, expressive nose, showing distinctively Central Otago “sweet sour plum” fruit character, with edges of forest floor and the opulent sweetness of something like creme brulee. Absolutely seductive. The entry is quite striking in its immediacy and, although the wine is obviously young, it’s not holding anything back, with the middle palate showing lots of fruit flavour. It is perhaps a bit unfocussed, but strongly regional and delicious. There’s a good whack of caramel oak too. The wine’s flavour continues strongly through the after palate and lengthy finish. There’s a roughness to the mouthfeel that is part acid, part chunky tannin. The alcohol also protrudes a little, at times masking the fruit. I suppose one could accuse the wine of being a bit overdone, and if your taste runs to light to medium bodied pinots of finesse, you may not especially enjoy this one.  I’m more inclined, though, to accept and enjoy it for what it is: a big, flavourful Central Otago Pinot that will probably respond to a couple of years in the bottle.Other half, who generally enjoys full bodied red wines, loved it.Mount DifficultyPrice: $NZ38Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007

Ata Rangi Célèbre 2005

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Ata Ranga is well-known for its Pinot Noir, so I was curious to give this blend of Martinborough and Hawkes Bay Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot a go. I have no idea why it’s called Célèbre.
The nose is very expressive and shows a seductive blend of violets, raw meat, dark berry fruits, spice (clove-like) and a good whack of oak. There’s good intensity here, and the balance is impressive (though perhaps with the oak showing too much after some time in glass). The palate again shows good balance and a focused line. The entry is immediately flavoursome and leads to a medium/full bodied middle palate showing intense, deliciously savoury dark fruits and mouthwatering astringency. The finish is especially lovely, and showcases very fine, chocolate-like tannins, framed by caramel/vanilla oak and quite prominent sappiness.
This is an elegant wine, full of flavour and tightly structured. It lacks the complexity of the very best wines, but is seductive and balanced. I asked myself whether there was an element of underripeness, but if there is, for my taste it is question of style rather than fault. It went well with our dinner of beef and roasted vegetables, the fruit having no issues matching the intense beefy flavour of the lovely New Zealand meat.
Ata RangiPrice: $NZ32Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007

Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

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I’m in New Zealand at the moment for a bit of a camping holiday, but roughing it doesn’t quite extend to doing without wine. In fact, I’m hoping to fit in some winery visits while I’m here, as well as taste lots of Kiwi wines of course. Tasting notes may be somewhat briefer than usual during my trip.
We got in yesterday and weren’t up for anything especially challenging, so chose this Hawkes Bay regional blend to have with dinner. A curious, unfamiliar aroma of dusty vanilla custard was initially dominant on the nose, fading to a supporting element with some time in glass. Alongside this (presumably) oak-derived note sits lovely, somewhat savoury red fruit, very easygoing without falling into a confected, industrial flavour spectrum. The wine’s entry is lively, ushering in a medium bodied palate that echoes the sweet/savoury fruit seen on the nose. On the palate, the fruit edges a little further towards facile sweetness, but there’s still a delicious savouriness to the flavour profile. There’s lively acidity all through the palate, which is well integrated and creates a feeling of sophistication in the mouth. The finish is practically tannin-free but of satisfactory length.
There’s no notable complexity of flavour, but for a quaffing wine, this is a really tasty drop that doesn’t confuse  “easy drinking” with simple fruit sweetness.
Villa MariaPrice: $NZ15Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007

Boro Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007

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In the glass, this wine seems nearly as clear as water – it’s very, very pale, almost the color of weak chamomile tea. On the nose, there’s lots of passionfruit that revealed itself after warming up some in the glass; colder, it smelled more steely, minerally. It’s uncannily liked canned lilikoi iced tea from Hawaii, and I mean that in the best possible way: it gets you salivating just be smelling it. There’s also a sort of chalky undertone to the smell, which is most appealing.

In the mouth, the wine isn’t at all thin – it shows good, albeit slightly soft acidity with the all important US-palate pleasing slight residual sugar that takes the edge off just a bit. Texturally, it’s reasonably fat with a nice sense of viscosity – it feels rich and full. Smelling it again, there’s a faint smokiness there as well.

The finish is pleasant, if perhaps slightly simple: a rich fruitiness, a hint of smoke, and then it’s gone after persisting on the tongue for just a bit. Lovely stuff, and excellent value. Think Cloudy Bay at a third the price (and slightly less huge). On the other hand, the instant this warmed up, it tasted terrible, unlike Cloudy Bay – if you do buy this, make sure to chill it down beforehand.

Boro Hills [but really fresh&easy]
Price: US $9.99
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: November 2007

Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2007

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As blatant as they can sometimes be, I do rather like a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc now and then. It’s like blue cheese or test cricket — if you’re in the mood, nothing else will do. This one popped up at the lunch table the other day and, as it was a hot day, I dived in.

Whether you like this wine will depend on how you like your Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Some lean quite far towards the piercingly aromatic end of the spectrum, whereas others exist in a more easygoing space, more tropical fruit and less cat’s piss. This one definitely sits at the the easygoing end, with obvious and slightly cloying aromas of tropical fruit, passionfruit, etc. Pretty typical in style, although not showing much of the minerality that can add extra complexity to these wines.

The palate continues the same theme, with softer acidity than some, and a sweetness to the fruit that you will either enjoy or find just vulgar (alas, I fall into the latter camp). The sweetness is such that I wondered whether there’s a degree of residual sugar hanging about. As well made as it is, I found this wine a bit cloying on the palate in particular, a factor amplified by this wine’s length (it does linger). On the plus side, it’s pretty crowd pleasing and is full of flavour.

Maybe I wasn’t in the mood after all.

Stoneleigh
Price: $A13
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: November 2007

South Island Pinot Noir 2006

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First off, I was surprised to smell this wine because whoa – it actually smells like Pinot Noir, which is practically unheard of in wines at this price point. It smells like a woody cherry Coke, spicy with a strong scent of vanillin. It’s noticeably light for a New World pinot, which isn’t a problem for me at all but I suspect it could be problematic for many American wine buyers who expected red wine to be opaque (this isn’t by a long shot).

It’s rather light in the mouth but not as light as low end Burgundy; there’s some varietal fruit sweetness but not much more than that, and the finish is short and uninteresting. Ultimately, it might be better just to smell this wine (and not drink it).

That being said, though, it’s not too shabby given the price point – but there are better options for just a few dollars more (or even the same price – Montes Pinot Noir from Chile can be much more interesting than this wine is). I’d suggest you serve it with Thanksgiving dinner (oops, too late) and hope that no one pays too much attention to it.

South Island (but really fresh&easy)
Price: US $9.99
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: November 2007

Deutz Marlborough Brut Cuvée NV

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I really felt like sparkling wine tonight, but didn’t want to spend a bundle. I reached for some Domaine Chandon at the local bottlo but thought I’d give the Deutz a spin.

Whoops. On pouring, this wine shows a frothy, coarse mousse that almost instantly disappears. In its wake is left a basically non-existent bead. A bit like flat Diet Coke. The nose shows some bready characters, nothing especially interesting or complex, and slightly stale-smelling. The palate is more fruit-driven, with some attractive, round fruit flavours in the mix. The wine froths up again in the mouth, and the coarseness of the effervescence means this is isn’t altogether pleasant. On the plus side, the acidity seems well balanced and there’s some tasty fruit in there. But the textural dimension to this wine lets it down almost entirely, and I can’t find much sophistication anywhere in this wine.

For the price, I would expect more. I wonder if it was a bad bottle?

Deutz Marlborough Cuvée
Price: $A20
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: November 2007

Peregrine Riesling 2005

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In addition to some lovely Pinot Noir, one of the delights of my trip to Central Otago earlier this year was tasting the range of delicious, aromatic whites. Although I noted a degree of inconsistency between producers, the region in general seems to produce full, generous Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer that are often notably different in style to those produced in Australia. In particular, producers in Central Otago seem more inclined to a range of styles that include varying degrees of residual sugar. Now to the Peregrine, from the 2005 vintage.

Signs of age are already appearing on the wine’s nose, with toast and perhaps even a slight kero edge infiltrating the wine’s otherwise heady honeysuckle-like nose. No shrinking violet, this wine. Despite the generosity, I thought it was initially all over the place and quite disjointed. After about half an hour with it, I wouldn’t say it’s entirely resolved, but it’s much more coherent than it was on opening.

The wine’s entry immediately introduces vivid, somewhat coarse acidity onto the palate, along with intense citrus and apple flavours. The middle palate is quite full and it’s here the wine’s residual sugar starts to influence the flavour profile. It thickens the fruit and introduces a tropical fruit element into the wine, not at all unpleasant. This may sound odd, but this wine has a sweet and sour line running through it that strongly reminds me of some New Zealand Pinot Noir. Flavours persist well through the after palate, winding up in a neat, surprisingly soft finish.

There’s no denying this is a tasty wine with plenty of flavour. I would have preferred a tad more elegance, though, and would happily trade some of this wine’s intensity of flavour for a greater sense of poise and balance. Despite the modest residual sweetness, the wine still comes in at 13.5% alcohol. I don’t have any food to go with this wine right now, but I bet some Asian canapes would be perfect.

Peregrine
Price: $A22
Closure: Stelvin
Tasted: November 2007