This wine sits alongside the Unison blends (regular and Selection) that form the core of the Unison Vineyard range. All Gimblett Gravels Estate fruit. A deep, perfumed nose that shows as much rich dark berry fruit as it does floral pot pourri and black pepper. There are also violety, raw meat and vanilla edges to the wine that create an overall impression of depth and complexity of flavour. The palate’s entry has good impact, and rich berry flavours begin from the very tip of the tongue onwards. This is a generous, full bodied wine that has a focus on ripe fruit without becoming vulgar or one-dimensional. There’s also a bit of toasty oak in there but it’s very much a support act. Acidity isn’t especially attention-grabbing but provides firmness and structure, and a focussed line. Mouthfeel is sophisticated, mostly silky smooth, with slightly chunky tannins as the finish takes hold. Length is quite impressive in its quality (deep fruit just keeps on singing) and persistence. An excellent Syrah that is rich yet balanced. If I had more bottles of this, I’d probably wait a year or two before retasting, as it’s quite evidently a youthful wine that may benefit from time in bottle.Unison VineyardPrice: $NZ35Closure: DiamDate tasted: December 2007
Category Archives: Red
Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot 2005
Had a lovely, professional experience at the Te Mata cellar door, and was able to taste a sampling of their range, if not perhaps some of the “heavy hitters” (ie Coleraine). Ended up purchasing a few, of which this was one.
Varietally dusty Cabernet nose, but not dominatingly so, as the primary note is of fleshy dark berry fruits, with some oak in support. The entry is one of those that widens immediately to a generous middle palate — instant gratification, if you will. The wine is medium to full bodied, and quite fruit driven. The fruit is of high quality and satisfying depth, never even hinting at simple, confected flavours. Instead, it’s masses of dark, juicy fruit, perhaps on the less structured end of the spectrum as Cabernets go, but certainly not flabby. The palate is quite linear until the end, where it spikes in a gorgeous lift of red fruits, before fading away on a blanket of fine tannins.
What an excellent wine this is. If you’re looking for a “drink now” Cabernet that is full of flavour and not an ounce industrial, give it a go.
Te Mata EstatePrice: $NZ35Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007
Trinity Hill Syrah 2006
Second in a lineup of Gimblett Gravels Syrahs. I was a little underwhelmed by the previous example (from Craggy Range).
Youthful purple colour, good clarity, a lovely wine to look at.
On the nose, identifiably regional notes of black pepper and pot pourri, but also a prominent strand of clean, attractive bright berry fruit and some undergrowth. Good complexity and interest. Also some nice vanilla oak, in a supporting role.
On entry, the wine feels a little dilute and lacking in immediacy of impact. The middle palate is where things become quite expressive. Medium bodied, fresh flavours that echo those on the nose, with good balance between all the elements. The mouthfeel is very clean, not especially textural, but appropriate given the freshness of the flavour profile. The after palate shows good continuity from the middle, and attractively persistent flavour. Chalky tannins finish off the wine nicely.
This wine is a tasty, drinkable expression of Syrah and stood up extremely well to a rather spicy pasta dish.
Trinity HillPrice: $NZ29Closure: DiamDate tasted: December 2007
Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah 2006
I bought a few Gimblett Gravels Syrahs to taste so that I can better understand the style being produced there as well as how individual producers are approaching things. This one is from Craggy Range, which gets my vote for most grand tasting facility in Hawkes Bay, at least that I’m aware of.
Nice sparkling purple-red colour, good density.
A really striking nose of black pepper and dried flowers, a bit like sharp pot pourri. Lots of impact, and quite characterful, but the more I sniffed it, the more I realised that it’s a wine that exists almost entirely at this high toned, spicily aromatic end of the spectrum, with little fruit weight of the regular berry kind. With some time in glass, a bit of red berry fruit emerged, but it really does remain in the background.
The palate is a virtual rerun of the nose. The same pepper and dried flowers dominate the flavour profile. The wine is of light to medium weight, very linear, with firm and yet delicately structured acidity. Despite the acidity’s presence, it adds very little to the texture of the wine, and the tannins are quite laid back. Again, there are some berry flavours but they are an undercurrent more than anything else. Fairly good length on the finish.
Whilst it’s a wine with impact, it’s also quite one-dimensional and didn’t go with a dinner of lamb (NZ’s finest!) especially well. The food seemed to clash with the wine’s flavours and reduce rather than add to complexity. Possibly needs some time in bottle to settle down, as I expected much more from this wine, given its reputation. Would be interested in retasting in a few months.
Craggy RangePrice: $NZ38Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007
Kent Rasmussen Esoterica Petit Verdot 2004
There’s a strange peppery note on the nose of this wine – almost like a low quality mixed peppercorn grinder you bought on clearance at Ross Dress for Less last January and promptly forgot about. There’s sort of a soft quality about it too; it’s very hard to describe, but it’s almost like an overstuffed velour couch you passed out on in your parents’ rumpus room back in the 70s. With air, there’s also a decidedly feral funky there as well: fairly meaty, and possibly Brett (enough to provide interest, not enough to really turn you off).It’s fairly full in the mouth, with drying tannins on the finish; the flavor’s very hard to describe, so all I’ll say is that (surprise) it’s no wonder that this grape seldom is vinified and bottled all by itself. It’s not that it’s unpleasant; it’s just that it feels somehow incomplete on its won. There’s kind of medicinal, almost horehound fruitiness, but other than that? I have to admit that I don’t get it.Kent Rasmussen WineryPrice: US $20Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007—After I wrote this post, I spent a few hours with this wine… and grew to appreciate it much more. It may not be the most forgiving or enjoyable wine, but at least it seemed to be very much of itself. I suspect that the winemaker did a very good job indeed at allowing the grape to express itself; the naturalness and honesty of the wine was very impressive.
Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil Monastrell 2005
Before I begin, let me first point out that this wine is all over the map: it presents a fairly wide array of different smells, textures, and tastes. Is that a good thing? Well, it’s certainly better than a simple, one-dimensional wine, but is it perhaps the lack of a focused direction that makes this a good wine and not a great wine? Is there a way for humans to intervene in a wine’s growth to direct it in a certain way, or is this just a happy accident of certain terroirs?—Anyhow: on to the wine. On the nose, there’s a bit of charry bacon, grilled bread, dusty violet, black berry leaves, smoke, earth, and an underlying sweetness to it all. It may be mataro, but it’s not an animalistic, meaty mataro: it’s more along the lines of sweet Christmas pudding and spice. With time and air, it lightened up a bit into a more perfume-y display, taking on notes of powdered cacao and blackberry jam.There’s a bit of lively acidity on the attach, quickly subsumed by full, round, rich fruit that tends towards blackstrap molasses and dark berries; on the finish, delicate tannins, again that refreshing acidity, and a long, careful finish that carefully divides its time between smoke, burnt sugar, damask rose, tar, and again that fine wash of tannin. It’s a beautiful wine; my only complaint is that it’s perhaps akin to watching a movie with a hundred beautiful scenes but no plot to tie it all together. What is this wine trying to tell us exactly?Bodegas Hijos de Juan GilPrice: US $11.99Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007
Clearview Enigma 2004
The second wine to be served with lunch at Clearview. This time, a Merlot-dominant Bordeaux blend.Quite vegetal aromas: stalk, brambles, etc. With some time, super blackcurrent fruit leapt from the glass along with some vanilla oak. Still, a flavour profile suggesting perhaps marginal ripeness and/or a strong expression Merlot’s more “green” varietal character.The wine’s entry establishes a much more fruit-driven flavour profile than suggested on the nose, with ripe dark fruit, pepper and spice, plus edges of leafiness. Still, it’s a more elegant, savoury wine as opposed to a fruit-driven one. The middle palate fills the mouth well, showing good intensity of flavour. Very fine tannins help the flavour to adhere to the tongue and linger impressively. The wine improved with food, with the fruit flavours moving further forward in the wine’s balance. Definitely one to have with dinner as opposed to alone, where its angularity might become tiring after a few glasses.Clearview EstatePrice: $NZ40Closure: CorkDate tasted: December 2007
Stockman's Station Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006
One thing that bugs me about Central Otago Pinot is the lack of what I would call “everyday” or quaffing wines. There has, in recent years, been an emergence of affordable, quality Australian Pinot Noir, so the scarcety of Central Otago cheapies has become more evident. I nabbed this one at the local supermarket, as it was well priced and the label talks about ecologically friendly farming practices, etc. Good on paper for sure.This wine shows good typicity of fruit flavour on the nose, so from the perspective of a “sense of place” in wine, it’s doing the right thing. The nose lacks impact, though, as the fruit flavour is both rather simple and somewhat dilute in character. The palate continues this impression, with a promising entry leading to a middle palate that never quite delivers the goods. It’s light to medium bodied, again a bit simple and dilute in flavour, and with acidity that is too aggressive for the wine’s intensity. Tannins are very fine and even, length is acceptable.It’s nice to be able to buy an obviously “Central Otago” Pinot Noir for a smidge under $NZ25, so I shouldn’t grumble too much, I suppose. It’s just not an especially compelling wine.Stockman’s StationPrice: $NZ24Closure: StelvinDate tasted: December 2007
Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot 2005
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
Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2006
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